by Mary Abshire
Zale refused to breathe. His head ached fiercer.
Stan strode toward Zale. Stopping in front of him, the big demon bent and grabbed Zale’s arm. When he pulled on it, fresh agony blazed from the broken bone and shoulder. Zale opened his mouth, gasping and screaming at the same time. Stan lifted him enough to slide his hands under Zale’s armpits.
“Damn, you stink,” Stan said, struggling to lift Zale.
Zale leaned his forehead against the demon. The black fog wanted to devour him. He focused on the molten pain while the demon dragged him across the room. If he passed out now, the master would wake him and Zale would be at his weakest point. He wouldn’t be able to resist possession. Whatever little strength he had left, he had to use it to fight any demon trying to enter him.
Stan set him on the icy metal chair. Zale lifted his head and leaned back. The broken bones in his spine prevented him from sitting upright. Body coated with sweat and blood, he slid and tilted sideways.
“Hold him,” Rodney said before Stan walked away.
Stan gripped his dislocated arm. Zale welcomed the sharp pain. It kept him awake.
Rodney came to stand on the other side of Zale. Grinning, he picked away strands of hair sticking to Zale’s face. “You can shift after I’m done. And you’ll feel much better.”
“Never,” Zale said. The single word came out a whisper.
Rodney put his hand on Zale’s head. “We’ll see.”
Zale closed his only moveable eyelid. He prayed for strength and then focused on Anna and the heavenly time he spent with her. He hoped such happiness and bliss would save him from the evil threatening to infect him.
Chapter Forty-One
Hands in the pockets of her leather jacket, Anna headed for the entrance of the City-County building. Rachel stayed close to her side while Victor walked behind them. Five large men trailed a few feet away. The soft slaps of everyone’s shoes on the brick sidewalk sounded similar to an audience clapping. Reaching the revolving glass door, Anna pushed it.
The two guards sitting behind a long table watched as Anna and the others entered the building. Laptops sat open in front of the uniformed men. One of them rose. He looked older than his partner with a mustache and large gut. With his hand on the weapon attached to his hip, he approached Anna.
She stopped a few feet from him with her hands at her sides. “I’m a special agent here to conduct some research.” Staring into his eyes, she slipped into his mind and told him to remove his hand from his weapon. The big guy obeyed.
Soft clicks from the table indicated the man sitting at it was typing. She shot her gaze to Victor.
The tall vampire strode to the guard at the table. “Excuse me,” Victor said.
As Victor removed his gun from under his shirt, the uniformed officer in front of Anna reached for the microphone on his shoulder.
“Don’t move,” she said and forced into the guard’s head.
He froze with his hand near the device.
Victor swung his gun at the guard’s head. He hit the man hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. In a flash, Victor scooted over the table. Underneath it, he turned the man onto his back. The scent of blood now drifted in the air.
“He’s out,” Victor said, and then straightened. “He’s a demon. I saw his eyes start to change.” Victor looked at the screen. “And he was about to send a message about our arrival.”
“I have some zip ties with me,” Justin said as he reached into his back pocket and strode toward Victor.
Anna shifted her attention to the guard in front of her. She disliked tinkering with a human’s mind, but the situation called for it. “Your friend fell asleep. You didn’t see anyone hurt him. You verified my credentials and agreed to let us go.” She plucked the memory of Victor hitting his partner.
Victor and the others started to pass through the metal detector. Rachel stayed near Anna, keeping her gaze on the glass windows.
“Thank you officer,” Anna said. “You may return to your desk and ignore your partner sleeping.”
The officer lowered his hand as he returned to the table.
“We’ll need to come back and get him,” Anna said as she headed for the metal detector.
“What if someone comes in and starts asking questions?” Rachel asked, following her.
“It’s early in the morning. I doubt anyone will.” At least, she hoped nobody would. The chances had to be slim to none. And if someone did come along, she’d deal with the issue later.
Victor and the werewolves waited on the other side of a wall where the six elevators were located.
“Follow me,” she said with a tilt of her head.
She continued past another wall to reach a set of stationary escalators. Without pausing, she jogged down the steps.
“Have you been here before Anna?” Victor asked.
She stopped at the bottom and stood to the side while everyone descended the steps. “I came here once with Glenn in the ‘50s. There’s a records room in the basement. We had to pull a few documents.”
After the last werewolf reached the ground, Anna began walking down the dark hall. Emergency exit signs spaced along the walls added a small amount of lighting. When she reached the door at the end of the hall, she pushed on the lever to open it.
A single light from above the door illuminated the stairwell. Rachel and the others followed her down the concrete steps.
“Does this lead to the tunnels?” Justin asked.
“Yes,” Anna said.
“Would the demons have come this way?” Stanley asked.
Anna stopped near the door leading to the sub-basement and tunnel. “My guess would be they used the freight elevator. I didn’t want to take it since it would create noise.”
“We should shift now,” Justin said.
“What about the doors?” Rachel asked, standing next to Anna.
Sean removed his shirt and handed it to her. “Use this to keep it open.”
Smiling, Rachel’s gaze lingered over Sean’s chest.
“It won’t take us long to catch up with you,” Justin said as he lifted his shirt.
Anna nodded and then continued down a hall leading to the tunnels. She followed the path left and then paused at a fork, trying to recall her memory from the 1950s. Spotting a steel door at the far end on the right, she headed toward it. The worn brown handle and design of the door resembled the one she’d seen in the photo with Zale. If her heart were alive, it would’ve been pounding.
She opened the heavy door and met a heavy musty smell. A hint of blood mixed with it. The tunnel branched off into two directions. Victor stopped beside her and faced the left. Rachel wedged the Sean’s shirt between the door and frame. Glancing up, pipes hung from the ceiling. They too looked similar to the one she’d seen in the picture.
“Do you hear them?” Victor removed his gun from his holster.
She reached out and listened. Electricity buzzed from the single bulbs spaced out in the tunnel. Water dripped in different places. Further, she heard multiple heartbeats. One sounded as if it were moving closer.
Fueled with anxiety, she strode in the direction of the living humans.
Victor followed at her side. He gripped her arm and brought her to a halt. “If a demon is coming this way, we don’t want them to know we’re here.”
“It could be a wandering guard,” Anna said.
“Let me check,” Rachel said. “I’ll act lost.”
“If it’s a demon, they’ll act fast,” Anna said.
“The demon will use any weapon it can to alert the others. Be quick if you see the demon’s hands reaching for anything,” Victor said.
She withdrew a switchblade from her pocket. Following a click, the blade shot out. “I won’t kill him. I can do this.”
“If the person isn’t a demon, slip into his mind and force him to sleep. Make sure to wipe his memory of seeing you,” Anna said.
&nb
sp; “Got it,” Rachel said.
Anna had spent years training Rachel, but hadn’t sent her into the field since Rachel’s skills had benefited Anna in the office. Now, the strong female vamp might come face to face with evil for the first time. Anna held confidence Rachel would fight well. With a slight grin, she nodded to Rachel.
Victor and Anna followed Rachel down the tunnel. The heartbeat of the human sounded closer, but still far enough away from where they were.
“She’ll be fine,” Victor whispered.
“I know. I prepared her for this.”
He glanced behind her. “The werewolves will be here soon.”
“We’ll have to hold them back while Rachel takes care of this guard or demon.”
Rachel stayed far ahead of them. They’d turned two corners, heading closer to the human. The sound of the beating heart grew louder. Rachel slowed as she reached another fork in the tunnel. Gripping the blade, she held it behind her.
Victor grabbed Anna’s arm. “The wolves are coming. Let’s wait around the corner and stop them. She’ll be fine.” He kept his voice low.
Anna followed him back around the corner. “I’ll watch. You hold back the wolves.”
She spun and peered around the wall. Rachel stood near the end of the tunnel with her back against the wall. The person with the heartbeat was near her.
Soft clicks on the floor captured Anna’s attention. Five werewolves appeared from around a corner. They trotted toward her and Victor. The tall vampire stood in the middle of the path and held his palms up to them.
Anna spun upon hearing a smack. She peeked past the wall. Rachel had one hand over the man’s mouth and her other one holding man’s wrist. Her blade lay on the floor. The man’s heart raced. She shoved the man to the wall. His head bounced off it. Within seconds, his legs bent and the beat of his heart began to calm. Rachel slowly let his body fall to the floor.
Anna took off toward Rachel. The coppery aroma in the air grew stronger and it wasn’t all coming from the unconscious man. Rachel snatched her blade off the floor.
“Did he reach for a weapon?” Anna asked.
Rachel gave a jittery nod and pointed. “His gun.”
Anna put her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “You did good.”
Victor and the werewolves approached. But it was the sound of other heartbeats and voices that held her attention. One of the voices sounded like a tune instead of dialogue. Fearing the long phrase was a chant, Anna dashed around the corner.
She removed her gun from the holster as she ran down the tunnel.
“Anna, wait!” Victor called out softly.
One of the werewolves ran by her. Another two shot past her. She followed them while she continued to listen to the voice. The words became clearer as she moved closer, and they were in Latin.
The werewolves rounded another corner. Shots echoed in the tunnel. Anna ran past the wall and found two men with black eyes firing their guns at the wolves. A third person disappeared at the end of the tunnel. The wolves leaped at one demon. She shot at the other. Her bullets hit the demon’s chest. He fell to the ground seconds after the wolves brought the other demon down.
Anna ran toward them. She recognized Stan Richman as the demon she’d shot. The other demon continued to roll on the ground with one of the wolves. Reaching the demon, she used the butt of her gun to hit his head twice. The demon gave up his battle.
The voice she’d heard speaking in Latin had silenced. Three heartbeats came from two rooms. She reached for the handle of the door where two beats drummed and the scent of blood was the strongest.
The second she opened the door, bullets pierced her chest. Sharp pain sliced through her. Rodney stood near Zale, sitting on the chair. She rushed at Rodney while he continued shooting. Hands in front of her, she shoved him. He flew back and hit the wall with a hard thud. He collapsed and his head bounced on the ground.
Zale’s head hung low. Bruises and blood soiled every inch of his body. He looked so different, so beaten and disfigured with bones distended or out of place. She dropped her gun and then took his swollen face into her hands. So much red fluid coated him. The thick smell of it along with his sweat made her stomach churn. He had to be in severe pain.
“Zale, I’m here,” she said as Rachel and Victor ran into the room.
Zale’s arm twitched.
“Zale, it’s me, Anna. I’m here. I love you. Talk to me. Please. Say something. Anything.”
He slowly lifted one eyelid. His dilated pupil magnified her worry.
“Fight it Zale. Don’t let the demon win. You can fight it. I love you,” Anna said.
“Try exorcising it,” Victor said, stepping close to her side. He retrieved her gun.
“It won’t do any good. The demon isn’t there yet. He’s fighting it and he has to do it on his own.” Anna swallowed hard as tears filled her eyes. “I can’t help him.”
“Rodney,” Rachel said. “Exorcise him and it might stop the demon from entering Zale.”
Anna shot her gaze from Rachel to the master on the floor. If she sent the demon from him back to Hell, all the demons he’d brought over within the last year would go too. It could help Zale win his battle. And if the demon succeeded in entering him, at least it would go away quickly if she exorcised Rodney.
She let go of the man she loved and then dropped to her knees. Rachel snatched Rodney’s gun from his hand as Anna turned him onto his back.
“Okay asshole, wake up.” Anna smacked his face several times. “Wake up.”
His eyes twitched.
“Wake up you evil bastard,” Anna yelled.
His eyelids fluttered. Without waiting any longer, she put her hand over his forehead and began chanting. Revertentur de quo egressus es. Vade exit daemonium. Non revertentur. Et hoc pertinent ad corpus.
She stared at the demon, praying her words would act fast and expunge the evil beast within Rodney’s body. The man looked at her as she repeated the phrase. Rachel put her hand on Anna’s shoulder and said the Latin words with her. The demon’s body began to spasm. Black liquid leaked from his eyes and nose. He closed his dark eyes while her and Rachel continued commanding the evil to leave. Rodney’s body jerked more. His mouth opened suddenly. When thick black smoke shot out from his widened lips, hope sparked within Anna.
The dark cloud grew in size and hovered above. It was so thick and black it looked as if a hole to outer space had opened up in the ceiling. Victor and Rachel stood silently. Anna touched the cross from her necklace and repeated the holy phrase one last time. After she finished, the large dark mass broke into small flakes and fell. The particles evaporated before reaching Victor’s head.
Rodney groaned and coughed. “Where am I?”
“You did it Anna!” Rachel said.
Anna jumped up and reclaimed Zale’s face in her hands. “I’m here Zale. You’re safe. Say something. Please.”
The size of his pupil had lessened, but his eye continued to stay up near his lid as if he were struggling to stay conscious. She hoped a demon hadn’t poisoned him. And if it had, she prayed the man she loved would have no memory of it so he could live a happy and sane life.
Chapter Forty-Two
Anna’s sweet voice called to his soul. Her words sounded so distant and soft. Each time she spoke, he gained a miniscule amount of strength to help him fight.
“Zale, I’m here,” she said. “Please, come back to me. I love you. Fight for me.”
The black hole he’d fallen into continued to rip him to shreds. Claws and teeth tore at him from the inside. It fed from his misery and whispered, but he couldn’t make out the words. He battled the invisible void by twisting, punching, and kicking. It wanted to devour and control him. He started to tire until he heard her voice.
“Say something, Zale. I’m here for you,” Anna said.
The dark abyss tried to drown him in pain. But Anna’s words acted as a type of lifeline or rope and she
pulled him to the surface.
“I love you, Zale.” Her voice sounded strained. “Please, look at me. Talk to me.”
He focused on her voice and the cool touch on his cheeks. The heavy weight holding him down lessened. The fog began to dissolve. His pain no longer felt like sharp blades ripping him apart. And the whisper disappeared.
“How long does it take?” a familiar female asked.
“From what I saw during the last outbreak, it should only take a few minutes,” Anna said.
Her voice sounded close. Something cool and soft rubbed his forehead and then his temple before resting on his face again. Slowly, he began to see a blurry vision of his mate.
“I think he’s coming around,” a familiar man said.
“Zale, you’re going to be fine. I’m here for you,” Anna said. “Can you understand me?”
He tried to blink. One eye wouldn’t respond. His other lid moved at a snail’s pace.
“Where am I?” said an unfamiliar voice.
“Get him out of here,” Anna said.
Although his ears rung and head throbbed, Zale heard footsteps.
“You’re doing good, Zale. And you’re going to get through this. I’ll help you,” Anna said.
Having moved his eyelid twice, he finally saw a better outline of her. She moved closer. Her face became clear as cool lips touched his.
“I love you. We’ll get through this together,” she said before she backed away.
He swallowed, but quickly wished he hadn’t. A coppery fluid burned in his throat.
“He needs to shift,” said a familiar man.
“Justin, Trevor…” Anna said. Her touch left one side of his face. “You’re shot and you’re—“
“Alive, thanks to all of you,” Trevor said.
Zale’s vision in his one eye improved with each blink. The problem was it hurt to move and his lid didn’t cooperate fast enough. His body ached as if a train had smashed into him. He tried to lift a hand and failed.
“Can you two shift? Will that help?” Anna asked.
“It will help Trevor more than me. I need to get the bullet out. It only hit my hip, so I’ll live. But Paul is hurt bad. Three bullets hit him,” Justin said.
