by Crymsyn Hart
“That’s right. There’s nothing to fight, Emera. You’ll always be mine. They might have burned the demon taint from your soul, but it’s still inside of you. You can’t be completely cleansed.”
“It’s not real. Remember what you are. Come back to me. You’re a Demon Catcher. You cast aside the demonic part of your nature. Come back to me, love. Remember me.” She felt Keenan’s arms around her, anchoring her soul to her body. The physical contact gave her the will to fight the influence over her.
“You’re not real. You’re dead. Sebastian’s dead. Get out of my head! You don’t own me anymore!” She latched on to her love for Keenan. The image of the garden lit up her mind. The beautiful sun shining above her. The songs of the angels singing in the background. The peacefulness that infused her, no matter what. And the array of flowers that smelled like no other. The flower. That’s it. Hope blossomed inside her heart, making her able to push through the darkness. The evil that had been working on her fell away. The spell was broken by whatever force was trying to ensnare her. Immediately the sensations left her, and so did Sebastian. He was dead and gone. There was no coming back for him. Not even hell could resurrect him because he was pierced with an angel-forged blade. The sword that Keenan carried. Keenan helped her up and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her tight. She could see him now since there was a glow around him that also extended to her. The moans from the others in the room drew her attention.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I think you found your inner angel again.”
“How come you aren’t affected the way the others are?”
“I’ve seen enough and been through enough to know the powers of demons. I was affected. This one is stronger than any I’ve seen. I just threw off the enchantment faster. This one is something different than the ones I’ve come up against in the past. I’m not sure he’s a demon. He might be a fallen angel, but I don’t know. Come on, we can help the others.”
Lit by the soft glow of her wings and her own power, she could see the others on the floor writhing. The evil that had once touched her was upon them all. Blackness surrounded each of them in a dark cocoon. From the way they groaned, she didn’t know whether it was agony or ecstasy. No matter what, they were being tormented, and she couldn’t let that go on any longer. Is this what I was like when Keenan came to save me? Is this evil truly a fallen angel? Can an angel gain that much power? She nearly laughed at the thought. Of course it could, look at Lucifer. He was a fallen angel and ruled over all the demons. This is why I am doing my duty as a Demon Catcher to save humans and others from the plight I had to go through. I will never let it touch me again. The female werewolf knelt by her mate. She tried to hold him, but it wasn’t doing any good. He was rolling in and out of her grasp.
“I’m fine. It can’t touch me. I was possessed as a child, and it can’t come into me again. I’m used to the evil it can lay upon people. I know how to fight it.”
To be sure, Emera laid her land on Serena’s cheek and searched her eyes. The residue of the evil remained inside of her. It was only an echo. She didn’t sense any demonic taint in her. Something else was stronger around her keeping the power at bay. Maybe because she was already possessed in the past. If that’s the case, I wonder if that goes with all those who have been possessed. Or maybe it only goes for the ones who don’t invite the evil into them again. I’ll have to ask Keenan about it later. Seeing that Serena was fine, she laid her hand on the male werewolf. Bruno’s limbs were contorted, half-fur and half-skin. His face stretched to the beginnings of a snout with human eyes. Those eyes pleaded with her to stop the madness he was involved in. He could’ve been two different things vying for the same body. The stain of the evil was in him, but not so strong. He was also marked for holy. Light filled his aura with a ring of darkness. The light was trying to push out the evil. From touching him, she could sense his thoughts. Bruno was fighting against the raging inside of him. The wolf had gone manic. He was praying to the Almighty to get it to stop. It had never been like this. She sensed the lives he had taken which marred his soul, but also the guilt. He was an imperfect being, but he was marked to do great things. It was part of his destiny. Emera laid a hand over his heart. When she did, she felt the light inside of him sputtering. The evil was winning, even though he didn’t wish it to.
“Do you still have the flower you plucked from the garden?” Keenan asked.
“Yeah.” She pulled it out of her pocket, surprised to see it was still whole.
“Pull off a petal and put it on his tongue.”
Emera took a petal from the rose. Bruno began to thrash around again and was growling. She tried to get the petal into his mouth, but he snapped at her. The evil inside of him sensed the purity of the flower and didn’t want to get near it. “Hold him down for me. I don’t feel like getting my hand chomped off.”
Keenan and Serena sat on his torso and legs. Both took an arm. Bruno snarled and howled. However, she was able to drop the petal into his mouth. Once it hit his tongue, the flower wilted and turned black. She could hear a sizzle while it did. Instantly, Bruno stopped convulsing. She watched in amazement at the ease with which his body began to morph back into human form. Keenan and Serena got off of him. Serena took the werewolf into her arms and hugged him tight. Emera smiled at the loving sight and the intensity of the emotions she felt between them. She brought the flower to her nose and inhaled the sweet scent. It was hard to imagine that the flower had come from heaven’s garden.
The darkness in the tavern hadn’t receded, but she was able to see because of the auras surrounding her and Keenan. They found the two vampires crouched in the darkness. Nathan and Josephine were not the friendly undead she had met. Their ears had grown into bats’ ears. Their eyes were spaced further apart and almond shaped. Their pupils had enlarged and reflected the light. Darkness surrounded them both. Their fingers had grown longer and thinner. They raked their deadly claws at her. What she saw in them was barely human at all. The demon in them was vying to win. She couldn’t let that happen. They weren’t evil at the core. Emera grabbed each of their shoulders. They snarled at her, but didn’t try to attack. If they were completely gone, they would have been on her in a second.
“I’m a friend. Remember who you are. The evil you evolved from does not rule you. Trust me, I know. Nathan, you were once a priest. Somewhere inside of you, that faith you held close to your heart has to be alive. Hold on to that. Josephine, you love him. Love can fight any darkness.”
“They might be beyond saving,” Keenan said next to her.
She gazed at him. “I’m surprised that you, of all people, would say that. You didn’t give up hope on me. Why would you give up hope on them?”
“I’ve come across vampires in my time who have reverted to their demonic origins. I’ve never seen them this bad. But you’re right. Now is not the time for me to lose faith.”
She nodded and glanced back at the other vampires. It seemed that there was more intelligence in their eyes now and not just the rabid animal from a few moments ago. “I won’t hurt you.” She took their chins and forced their mouths open, pushing the flower petals onto their tongues.
It took a moment before Emera saw any results. The darkness around them began to recede. They slowly melted back into a human appearance. She heard the cracking of their joints and bones realigning. At the very end, she didn’t realize that each of them had grown wings. Once they were human again, realization washed over Nathan’s face. He scooped up his mate and apologized. Emera’s heart swelled at the sight of the lovers. He would give anything to see the female safe, even his own life.
She poked Keenan in the ribs. “See? Everyone is worth saving. Don’t forget that, or I might have to put you over my knee and spank you.”
He chuckled. “I promise I’ll be naughty more often, mistress.”
Emera shook her head and went over to the human couple. Valerie had come around. She was straddling James. Each was half-n
aked. Valerie had her beau pinned against the wall. Her fingers raked over his chest, drawing blood. His hands were inside her jeans gripping her ass while he practically humped her. Emera touched the woman first. She turned around and made a kissy face at her. This is something I’m used to. The lust coming from these two could knock my socks off if I was still under Sebastian’s rule. They would each make good pets. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine. I can’t think like that. Emera leaned in close to Valerie.
“You want some of me, don’t you?” Valerie asked, running her hands down her breasts.
Emera touched her cheek lightly. “Oh yes. I want you to kiss me.”
Valerie smiled. Emera placed her fingers under her chin and plopped the petal on Valerie’s tongue. Immediately Valerie’s eyes cleared. Emera gave her a sympathetic smile. She understood that the woman was fighting with the lust the demon had culled in her. It had wanted to rule her with that. She had been in that exact position and had her soul twisted enough that it had blackened. She hoped Valerie could shake it off. She’ll probably never get over it completely. It will haunt her dreams all her life. Next she went to James. He tried to kiss her. She placed the flower petal on his tongue and watched him swallow it. The darkness retreated from his aura immediately.
“It’s wonderful that you had that flower. That’s everyone.” Keenan gazed around the room.
“Yeah. Almost as if the angel knew something was going to happen. I wonder if she did.” Emera looped her arm around his waist. The taint of evil in the place had lifted. It was good the weight of darkness was gone.
“Where’s Vangelis?” Keenan asked.
The darkness in the tavern had withdrawn into the corners of the building and rafters. In the shadows the wails of the ghosts and the other things echoed around them. The immensity of the lost souls in the tavern was mind-boggling. She sensed over two hundred souls trapped in the place. Many of them might not know they were dead but if they were real, the place was sure crowded. It would be nice when their assignment was over so they could free the forlorn souls and send them to the afterlife. Surveying the rest of the building, the others were huddled together but also looking around. She focused on the rift in the floor.
Steam wafted from the fissure in the floor. A faint red glow emanated from the crack. The stench of rotten eggs was heavy in the room. She’d only smelled that once before when Sebastian had been dragged to hell for committing some atrocity even the demons didn’t like. This chasm went deep into the underworld and the bowels of hell. Whatever is meant to come out of that thing is going to be evil incarnate. Only one being is that bad. Lucifer. We can’t let him rise. We must stop this.
“Looking for someone?” Near the bar, they saw Van peering at the gap. When he looked up his eyes were red, and an evil devilish smile curled his lips.
“Van, what’s going on? What’s the matter?” Keenan stepped forward. The angel flicked his hand, and the Demon Catcher was thrown across the room. Keenan’s head hit the wall hard. She heard the crunch of his skull cracking. She winced at the sound. Emera stood her ground, even though everything in her demanded that she check on her fallen warrior.
“Who are you really?” she asked.
“At least the fallen one understands. It’s hard to believe that I would’ve once considered you a sister. I’m the one who sent you those lovely invitations to join me. I killed those pitiful ghost hunters. I couldn’t have them snooping at a time like this. I was the one who possessed the female wolf when she was a child and the female vampire when she was human. That was fun. And Valerie knows me oh so well. Sebastian was a dear friend to me. It’s a shame you didn’t mind him better. Who do you think taught him to be so wicked?”
Emera didn’t believe anything the demon said. This couldn’t be Sebastian’s mentor. There was no way. “What do you want, and where’s Van?”
The demon chuckled and passed his hand over his suit. In an instant it was black. His features morphed. He had short black hair, olive-toned skin, and deep red eyes. “Your beloved angel tried to kill me. Such a naughty thing to do. He had no idea what he was up against. Not really. Many of the Warrior Angels don’t know about the oldest demons on the planet and what we’re capable of. So he got himself killed instead. You all needed to believe he was still around, and I needed you to trust me. Now you’re all here following me blindly.”
Emera didn’t believe him. Vangelis can’t be dead. He wouldn’t have gone off to fight alone if he knew what the demon was or what it was up to. The grief of losing her friend hit her hard. The demon opened his arms wide and spun around, laughing. The howls of the dead split her ears. The hundreds of lost souls were begging to be released. They pressed upon her, trying to get to the door. Whatever enchantment held them wasn’t going to release them easily. From the tear in the floor, she sensed movement from the bowels of hell. Whatever he was going to raise was from the lower tiers of hell. She wasn’t sure if the other demons or dark entities were going to try to crawl up and escape. She wouldn’t be surprised. They would all have to be ready.
“You want to awaken Lucifer and free him from hell?” Emera asked, snarling.
“Almost, but not exactly.”
“Why do you need all of us?” Bruno asked. “You never did admit that to me back at the compound.”
The demon turned to the werewolf. Emera saw Keenan rising with a silver sword behind his back. Her hopes were high when he charged the demon. The fiend turned and clasped his hands along the blade, stopping it inches from his heart. He seemed annoyed. Keenan tried to pull the blade back from the demon’s hands. The blade began to smolder. The angelic script along the metal flared blue as the energy tried to counteract the evil influence the demon had.
“You Demon Catchers really have to give up. You’re out of date, just like the Knights Templar. By the time the church listened to me and had them all killed, they had almost overrun the church. It’s a shame, really. We lost a lot of good demons during the Crusades.” He shoved the sword away from him, and Keenan hit the wall again hard. Emera heard the crack of his head, and he slumped down. She raced to his side and felt his pulse. He was still alive. Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you. The demon smirked. “I told you not to mess with me.” He turned back to Bruno.
“The ones I contacted are keys, each special in their own way. Four keys to open the gateway from all different races. A human psychic was easy to find, but psychic identical twins, that was a bit harder. I had focused on Valerie’s sister Niki first because I thought she was the stronger one. Only then I found out that she was in cahoots with a djinn. Filthy race of half-breeds. Always trying to break into this reality. From her I went to Valerie and found her oh so appealing. So luscious. Then there were the others. Emera, for instance. How many times do you find a fallen angel with hope? You, Bruno, a werewolf who eats his congregation but still has God’s favor. That is almost an oxymoron. And then Nathan. The defunct priest who lost his faith because of all the atrocities he did in the past. Oh yes, I know all about the torturing you did on the accused witches. And then you were accused of being one yourself because you questioned your faith. A big no-no in the church. From that we get an atheist vampire who can walk into graveyards and is not affected by holy objects. You were so specific that the prophecy would happen only once. And then getting you together was like pulling teeth. I had to use all of my best skills to ingrain the compulsion in you. It isn’t about raising Lucifer. Who cares about him? Let him play. No, I want to raise what was here before the Morning Star fell. Chaos. He is the true ruler of the universe. My true master.”
“Chaos is only a myth,” Emera remarked. Even among the angels, the story of Chaos was something the older angels would tell to scare them. Even though her life had been peaceful in heaven, there were tales told to make time pass. Not all of the angels sang or watched humans.
The demon snickered. “That’s what you think. Chaos was the master of all things. He ruled the darkness and the gray
areas. He touched all realities. Your God drove him into the furthest regions of hell, even deeper than Lucifer. He was the one who created me and the most ancient of demons. Many of them stay in hell, but I dug my way out while Lucifer was thrown into the pit. Once I awaken Chaos, there’ll be nothing left of this world. Humans will be the myth we tell one another to keep us occupied. I searched long and hard in the pits until I found his resting place. When I did, I scoured the bowels of the inferno and discovered the ones who knew how to free him. They told me the signs to look for and the keys. I searched for thousands of years, and now all that I have dreamed will come true. My master will be with us once more. And there’s nothing your God can do to stop it.”
“So what happens now? You raise some demi-god and end the world. Where does that leave you if you can’t rule over anything?” Valerie asked. She walked closer to the demon.
Emera sensed her distaste. I’m sure realizing that the being you were being seduced by was trying to destroy the world is a big deal. I bet she wishes she would have let the djinn have her now. Still, what she did was a hard decision for anyone. I give her credit for sticking to her guns. I wonder what happened to her sister.
The demon crossed the space over to Valerie. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close. He moved the hair from her neck. His fingers glided along her flesh. He kissed her. Valerie shivered. “You taste so good. You were the one key I wanted to keep for myself. After this is all over, I’ll make sure you have a place by my side.”
“You promise you’ll give me what I’ve been wanting?” Valerie asked. She looked up at him expectantly. “Please, Master?”
Emera sensed that she was falling under the demon’s spell again. Seeing the two of them together brought back all of the memories of her and Sebastian. This woman is not going to be lost to the charms of the darkness. I won’t let it. “You never answered her question. What happens now? You’ll end the world?”
