Wounded: Book 8 (A Rylee Adamson Novel)

by Shannon Mayer

  Now, Bert was bound to my true uncle, forced to serve him.

  Bert wrung his hands and looked sheepishly from me to the others in the courtyard and then back to me. Raw sneered at him and stepped back, as if just by being close to the demon he could somehow become infected. Not good.

  I crooked a finger at Bert. “Come here.”

  He swallowed hard and shuffled across to me, cringing as if expecting a blow. “I’ve done nothing wrong, Master.”

  Oh shit, that was not going to fly. “My name is Rylee. Use it. Or if you can’t, call me Tracker.”

  He bobbed his head and I wondered again how he’d been able to keep up even a small sliver of believability as my uncle. Looking back, though, I’d never fully connected with him, or trusted him while he played that role. He always seemed … off. Now that he’d been ‘outed’ as a demon, he was a damn sniveling weakling.

  “Bert, the four demon packs preceding the four horsemen are loose. Where are they headed?” I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt, and allow him to answer before I asked Erik to put pressure on him.

  He shook his head and stared at his feet. “I don’t know.”

  I leaned in close to him, so my mouth was next to his cheek, though I wasn’t quiet with my words. “Demon, perhaps you forget who you are dealing with. I’m not like most women. I will fucking pull you apart by the seams and not even blink while you scream for mercy if you don’t tell me. I know you’re lying. I suggest you think hard before you answer me.”

  Swallowing several times, he fought to suck in a breath, but he said nothing. I stepped back and pulled my whip free, snapping it out, holding the tip in one hand and the handle in the other. “You have ten seconds before I start unstitching your skin to find out what a makes up a demon from the inside out.”

  Bitchy? Hell yes. But we didn’t have time for polite chatting and dodging the issue. Big, bad, nasty, ugly demons were loose on the world. Bert was the least of my concerns at this point.

  His eyes lifted to mine, glimmering with tears, and I almost felt bad. Almost. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep my family and friends safe. Bert was nothing to me but a weak-assed demon I would use as I saw fit.

  “Orion wants the humans to love him because he knows people will fight him if he comes in with guns blazing. But if they love him, revere him, they will willingly do as he wants, they will do as he pleases. So he’ll stir up the wars and … and strife, and then he will come and ‘save’ the world.” Bert took a deep breath and as he spoke the words seemed to come easier, like a weight was being lifted off him. And maybe it was. “The packs, and later the four generals, their jobs are to stir the fear and the panic amongst the human population; they are to convince the humans the end days are upon them. It is at that point Orion will come through and ‘vanquish’ the evil in the world. The evil, of course, will be the supernatural world.”

  That was exactly what Milly had thought. She’d explained that one of Orion’s plans had been to stir up the humans, but not that he would want to expose the supernaturals as ‘evil’.

  “And the humans would help him wipe us out?” Erik asked the question on the tip of my tongue. Bert nodded furiously.

  “Yes. That is the plan.”

  Berget stepped up, her brows drawn over her bright blue eyes. “Why did only the packs come through? Why not the generals or Orion himself?”

  Erik answered her before Bert could even process the question. “Because the veil is not truly opened to the demons, not yet. There are things that must happen. Signs that must be fulfilled before the hordes can come through. The four horsemen are second only to Orion in strength. The generals will need to possess strong bodies, supernaturals that will be difficult to take, but also have a great deal of inborn power. The necromancer will have to help them with that. And maybe even your friend.” He looked at me when he said ‘friend’. Of course, he meant Milly. She’d stayed behind, bound once more by Orion.

  I wasn’t so sure Talia had the strength to force people through the veil and make them prisoners. But Milly did. My heart twisted, knowing she was trapped there. She was due to give birth in a couple of months, and we had no way of getting her out. Bound to Orion, she would be dangerous to have near us, as dangerous as she was away from us. I pulled myself together, though by Liam’s glance, he was the only one to notice my mind wandering.

  “Answer Berget’s other question,” I said. “Why doesn’t Orion come through?”

  Bert gave a little laugh, though there was no true humor in it. “Didn’t you hear me? He wants the humans to love him. He has to save them to do that. Of course, he doesn’t have the body he wants, or needs yet, either. That’s coming as soon as the witch gives birth. He needs that body if he wants to fulfill the demon prophecies. Once he has it, he could take another body. But he must start with the child. A child of great power.”

  His words stabbed through me. He was talking about Milly and her unborn baby. Liam’s hand was on the small of my back, subtly supporting me, his words quiet and only for my ears. “You could do nothing more. Milly made her choice to save you so you could stop Orion.”

  The words that flowed out of me were words I’d read out of the gray-skinned book of prophecies what seemed like eons ago. Before I’d truly understood what we were facing. “Orion shall twist the magic of the Great One, and shall bring her to her knees with his lies. For when he possesses the heart of her soul, salvation shall fall to one bound by oaths to stay his hand of death over the world. The Tracker must break her oaths to save the world, or we will all be doomed.”

  The courtyard was very quiet; everyone was looking at me. I didn’t even blink, though my eyes burned with unshed tears. “Milly, she’s the greatest witch the world has seen. And the heart of her soul, that’s her baby. That’s what the prophecy meant, what it means. She asked me to do what I had to do. She meant killing her child if I had to. That would break my oath to protect children.” Why, oh why did I have to understand that prophecy now?

  Nikko stood and he walked solemnly to me, his horn lowering to touch one shoulder.

  All the prophecies will be fulfilled, Rylee. But we cannot always see in what way until they are upon us.

  Erik cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s eyes to him. “Be that as it may, we still have the four packs to deal with. I believe Bert here.”

  Bert stood a little taller as Erik clapped a hand onto the smaller man’s shoulder.

  “But that doesn’t mean Orion’s plan hasn’t changed.”

  Bert slumped. “I don’t think he knows yet, that I’ve … umm.”

  Okay, it was damn weird to see a demon stumble and stutter over his words. But I knew what he was getting at.

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Orion doesn’t know that you’ve defected.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Well,” I said. “I guess there’s only one thing to do.”

  All eyes swung my way once more. Probably was going to have to get used to that.

  I gave them a smile that I knew was easily as cold as the wind tugging at us. “Time to go demon hunting.”

  Chapter 2

  WHILE THE COUNCIL argued over the best way to take out the demon packs, Liam found his way to Berget’s side.

  She blinked up at him and gave him a soft smile as her eyes searched his face. “You save her, you know that, don’t you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She doesn’t have your patience, or your ability to hold back when she needs to. Of course, it is more than that. You are her heart. Without that, she would be far crueler than she needs to be.”

  He thought about her threats to Bert. “I don’t know about that. She seemed plenty cruel with the demon. As she should be.”

  Berget shook her head, blonde hair tossing lightly in the wind. “No, that was necessary. She needs to make a strong impression, and while she might not understand it, her instincts to lay into him run true. It was good, not only for him, but also for those who fol
low her to see she will do what she must, no matter how gruesome. Too many leaders fail when they are afraid to do what is right because it is hard, or they are afraid of how it will make them look.”

  Her eyes flicked to his face and she shifted so they were side by side, looking out over the courtyard. “But that is not why you stand with me, is it?”

  Liam thought for a moment. Though Berget was only sixteen, there was a huge part of her that was older, knowledge she’d gained only by living amongst vampires before she herself was turned. On top of that, carrying around the souls and memories of two ancient vampires had aged her, and made her wise far beyond her years. “No. It isn’t. She told me you were searching through your memories, and those of your parents, for the key to the veil, to the things that had to be done to close it off.”

  From the side, her face went carefully blank. “Yes, she did. But I see no need now—”

  He lifted one hand, stopping her. “We already know it has something to do with the guardians, that their blood can somehow close the doorways. What have you learned?”

  They didn’t look at one another; instead, they watched the council argue.

  “The blood of a guardian can close a tear in the veil; it is not the same as the Blood of the Lost, but it is strong enough to do the job for a time. Taken by force, that is all it will do,” she said softly, so softly her words were less than a whisper.

  The image of Eagle, sprawled out, blood soaked in Rylee’s bathtub, slid to the front of his mind. The demons who’d taken Milly and Pamela had used Eagle’s blood, forcibly, to close the doorway behind them. To wipe clean their own escape and prevent anyone from following through the tear in the veil they’d created.

  Berget kept speaking, which jarred him out of his memories. “The blood of a guardian freely given, a sacrifice, can shut the veil for a period of time, putting the entire system in stasis. No one can cross in either direction.”

  “How long does it give, this sacrifice?”

  “You cannot, Liam.” She turned to face him, grabbed his hand. Cool, dainty fingers clutched at his. “You cannot leave her. My parents have lied to me before. I do not know for sure this would even work.”

  He gently squeezed her hand, grateful Rylee had Berget back in her life, even if it was somewhat on the peripheral. “I don’t plan on it. There are other guardians, and we need to know how and where they can help. The loss of a little blood is not too much to ask of them to give us time to plan for Orion, is it?”

  Berget closed her eyes, the blue veins along her eyelids sharp in contrast to her pale skin, even in the dim light. “That is true.”

  The sharp scent of her lie bit at his nose. Acrid and tangy, he blew it out.

  “Berget. What aren’t you telling me?”

  She shook her head and took her hand from his. “Nothing you need to know.”

  He stared down at her, as if he could will the truth from her. But he knew better. Tiny though she was, there was nothing he could do to make her spill her secrets before she was ready. Even if she hadn’t been a vampire, she was a woman—that alone meant she wouldn’t say anything if he pushed her, and she wasn’t yet ready to talk.

  He let out a sigh. “Will you tell me at some point?”

  Her shoulders sagged and she closed her eyes. “Yes, Liam, I will. But not today.”

  There was a large part of him, the wolf in him that wanted to grab Berget and shake the truth from her. Mostly because he had a feeling it would impact him in ways he didn’t want, and he hated not knowing.

  For now, though, her promise that she would tell him would have to be good enough.

  Across from them, Rylee looked up and he gave her a wink, immediately pushing back the frown he knew had been on his face. Her lips didn’t move, but he could see the smile in her eyes, her face, the way her head tilted. No one else would see it.

  And that was fine by him.

  Until we had more information, there was no point in continuing to hold the council together. Doran dismissed everyone, nicely of course, asking them all to come back after we’d had some time to discuss the possibilities with Bert. No point in riling everyone up without just cause. The ogres and unicorns headed off together. Their camps had been set up so the ogre’s camp was a larger circle around the unicorns, in a defensive measure. Having the smaller contingent, and having brought their only foal with them, the unicorns had agreed that was best. Just in case things got ugly.

  Once the courtyard cleared, it was just me, Liam, Erik, Bert, and Faris. I sent Alex and Pamela to bed since it was nearing three in the morning and they were both yawning like crazy. Pamela frowned, but didn’t argue. A sure sign she was exhausted. Even Doran and Berget backed out of the mini council.

  Doran tried to swat me on the ass as he left. “There are so many things that need to be attended to and you don’t need me. Faris will fill me in later.” I managed to dodge his hand impressively, considering how fast he was. Of course, there was a chance he’d let me dodge him, too.

  In the relative silence that followed, I listened to the spill of the fountain for all of about three seconds before diving in.

  “Bert, you’re up. What can you tell us about these bastards we’re dealing with?” I stared hard at the wimpy demon, but he didn’t flinch, seeming to gain some confidence from the fact we were actually listening to him.

  Bert stood in front of us, his hands clasped together behind him. A frown settled over his face before he started to speak.

  “Well. I don’t know for sure what packs have come through. There are seven kinds of demon packs.”

  Erik stopped him. “There is precedence to this, though. This is not the first time a powerful demon has tried to take over the world.” He had everyone’s attention with those words.

  “Wait, what?” I blurted out, my eyes widening. “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t think that all of the disasters that humanity has faced were all natural, do you? The bubonic plague is a good example. It was blamed on a number of things. Rats, the Jewish people, punishment from God. It all led to a cleansing of anything unusual. Mostly supernaturals who were trying to blend in, and in that process, the humans wiped out many of their best defenders against the demon population, which then went on to spread the plague across the world. But that is just one example.”

  “What was the point, though? Wouldn’t the demons have wanted people to be alive so they could possess them?” Liam asked.

  Erik gave a ruthful smile. “Yes and no. The bubonic plague wasn’t so much about killing people off, as it was infecting them. Making them weak and easier to possess. The plague compromised their immune systems, allowing them to be taken over. Especially the young.”

  Something about what Erik said sent a twang through my brain. I struggled to put the pieces together, but they floated just out of reach. Damn it. Liam touched my arm. “What?”

  I closed my eyes and pressed my palms into them, blocking out any light. “Let me think for a minute.”

  The feel of the night air and the sound of the fountain filled my ears as I looked at the pieces one by one.

  Demons escaped in London who bred fast.

  Minor supernaturals were being possessed by lesser demons and evil spirits.

  Packs of Orion’s demons were free to cause chaos.

  The only thing we were missing was a plague, and then Orion would have access to all the young people he wanted. The urge to vomit swelled up through my stomach and burned the back of my throat.

  “Children are normally hard to possess, aren’t they?” That was why it had taken a full pentagram when the black coven was trying to have India possessed so many months ago. At least, that was what I understood.

  Bert bobbed his head. “Yes, it can be very difficult to possess a child. There is a natural protection over the young when it comes to demons, something the elementals put into play.” He grimaced as he said ‘elemental’ and again I wondered at these particular supernaturals that I’d only
just been hearing about. “But when the small humans are ill, that protection goes into keeping them alive, rather than keeping them from being possessed.”

  Feeling like a bully, but not really caring, I leaned in to Bert. “How did the bubonic plague really start?”

  An interesting thing happened. Bert paled and shook his head. “I can’t tell you.”

  My eyebrows shot up and I glanced at Erik. “You want to make him talk, or do you want me to make him talk?”

  Erik shrugged. “Either way is fine. I haven’t interrogated a demon in years. I’ve missed it.”

  Bert paled even more and his lower lip trembled. “I can’t tell you. I can’t. Tracker, Slayer, both of you have to trust me. Please.”

  “Begging will get you nowhere, little demon,” Erik growled. He had a short, serrated knife in his hand that he’d pulled from somewhere within his robes. It was curved, like a skinning knife, and if it hadn’t been for the rough edges, that’s what I would have called it.

  “Track demons and evil spirits,” Bert blurted as he fell to his knees. “Proof I am on your side, that I truly want to help, but cannot tell you about the plagues. Track them; you’ll see it isn’t me fooling you.”

  Erik paused and looked over at me. “Up to you. Personally, I’d just as soon dice him up.”

  “Fuck, why not, Tracking will take me two seconds,” I grumbled.

  I send out a thread to Track demons as a whole, paired with a thread for evil spirits, just to satisfy—

  Holy. Fucking. Hell.

  I swayed on my feet and went to one knee, the overwhelming wash of pings I got back seriously making me re-think getting out of bed the day before.