“For trying to use my gift for good?”
Raphael held up an open palm and surged forward. “As soon as you learned they were demons, you should have known you were wrong.”
“Bullshit,” Paige shouted, advancing another half-step. “They make more sense than you!”
“Of course they do.” Raphael flicked his hand.
An outside force swept across Paige’s mind like a blanket of calm. Was he seriously trying to pull some sort of angel magick crap on her right now?
Raphael’s eyes widened minutely as he studied her, realization dawning along his features. “Demons are charming to sway you. That is what makes them so dangerous.”
“Demons do—”
“Did the Bible tell you nothing?”
“How much stock should I put—” Two more steps. “—in the mangled word of Man?”
The archangel raised his head as though he’d been slapped.
“Where’s God’s word in that? How many times has it been twisted to suit the needs of the power hungry? Where are the original texts? How do we even know what the Bible originally said?”
“We gave Man those words to—”
“—to seek power for yourselves,” Paige finished.
“We warned Man not to worship us.”
“That’s not what this conversation sounds like to me.”
“We’ve got company.” Xael straightened, his arms falling to his sides.
Paige twisted around. Lucius and Balnore stood on the other side of the invisible wall.
“It would do you well to leave us, vermin,” Raphael said.
“You’d do well to leave,” Balnore said. A cold smile slid across his face. “Unless you like it when I send you back.”
Xael folded his arms over his chest. “He’s the one who stopped you?”
Balnore’s smile widened and he flicked his dark eyebrows.
Xael stared at the demon with something akin to wonder. “Who are you?”
“I am her protector.”
“Interesting.”
The archangel flexed his shoulders. “You cannot send us back.”
“Give me one reason why—”
Raphael cut the demon off. “We are the only ones who can truly protect her.”
Balnore’s beady black gaze settled on Paige.
“She is broken and of no use to you.”
Paige glared at Balnore and shook her head.
His hands opened at his side, his eyes flaring.
“She is, however,” Raphael continued, “of use to us.”
Balnore turned his cold gaze to the archangel, standing at his full height.
“She cannot be around a lesser demon without sucking them into her body for possession.” Raphael clicked his tongue. “How many times do you think she can survive that?”
“As many as she has to.”
“I can protect her.” Lucius stepped forward. “Now, get out of here before I command my brethren to send you back.”
Raphael grinned lopsidedly. “What brethren? They’re all gone.”
“Found ’em.” Lucius gave the angel a smug look.
The archangel focused on Paige, his expression sliding into disgust. “Repent.”
She released an explosive breath. “Like hell.”
“Repent and all will be forgiven.”
The nerve of this guy. “I don’t like your god if He even exists.”
“Leave.” Balnore lowered his chin, his expression darkening. “Now.”
“If you change your mind, sinner,” the archangel said, “pray. We will arrive.”
“Pray to who?” Paige asked.
“To God. Who else?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’d rather spend an eternity in Hell.”
Xael’s mouth quirked.
The invisible field around them disappeared. As did the angels.
Paige released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and clasped Dexx’s arms.
“We have a problem,” Balnore said.
Dexx snorted. “And the understatement award of the year goes to?”
The demon glared at the hunter.
Dexx sent him a cheeky grin. “So what’s the issue now?”
“Sven,” Lucius said, his mouth twisting.
Balnore rolled his eyes. “He’s been among the humans too long. He’s half human now.”
“Like Lucius?” Paige needed sleep. S.L.E.E.P. “How’s that a problem?”
“It means you can’t banish him, love,” Lucius said. “Even if we did get ya back in working order.”
“Great. We’ll just kill him.” Dexx took out his Smith and Wesson. “That means this works now.”
“Not so fast,” Lucius said. “He’s only half human.”
“So this—” Dexx said, waving his gun before stashing it back in his belt. “—won’t work.”
“It might wound him, but not kill him.”
Paige folded her arms over her chest. “Good news is, we have Lucius who we can use as a test subject.”
“I don’t find you humorous, love.”
She gave him a fuck-off expression and mocked his accent. “I don’t think I care, love.”
“Great,” Dexx said. “So how do we fight him?”
Lucius stared a hole in the back of Balnore’s head. “You do not.”
“Oh, come on,” Dexx said. “This guy’s gotta have weaknesses.”
Balnore looked up at him. “Paige.”
Paige bit her lip and shook her head, too tired and too overwhelmed to follow the conversation emotionally.
Dexx frowned in confusion. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
Paige raised her eyebrows. “Love notes via dead body. Come on, Dexx.”
“Also,” Lucius added, “the souls he has destroyed are now attached to him. I would guess he’s losing his nut. Blood magick does that to humans.”
They needed a miracle. “Insanity doesn’t help us.”
“He has the powers of a demon and a human.” Dexx held up his finger. “Like that of a demon talker. You—when you work right—are a very powerful person. Now, he’s like you, only not broken.”
“And insane. Awesome.” The sun left the sky, shooting pale rays above Dexx’s head. “So how do we stop him?”
“Stake through the heart?” Dexx asked. “If Lucius is like him, I vote we test-drive the stake theory right away.”
“It is unlikely he has a heart,” Lucius said. “And we are not practicing on me.”
“He was re-born before the first world war,” Paige said. “He regained his demon abilities when he died of natural causes.”
“And how do you know that?” Dexx demanded.
“Back in town.” Paige released a tired sigh. “We connected. A lot happened.”
“Beheading, then.” Dexx gestured to Balnore. “Fire?”
“I think,” Balnore said. “The demon hunter might be on to something.”
“Really?” Dexx asked. “I am?”
Balnore nodded.
Dexx snorted and gave Paige a cheap grin.
She jutted her chin to the side. “What are you thinking?”
“Chakras.” Balnore said.
Dexx frowned. “I don’t follow.”
“Chakra’s,” Paige said, letting her hands fall to her sides. “We could puncture one of his chakras with . . .” She trailed off and shook her head. “Nothing physical. That wouldn’t work.”
“Nothing wholly physical,” Balnore said, his eyes lighting on hers.
“Something physical to harm his body, and something magick to harm his demon soul.” Paige thumped her thumb against her leg. “That could work.”
“But it’d be a magick only you could perform,” Lucius said.
“Now, wait.” Paige pressed her fingers along her lips. “You walked out of that jail cell pretty cocky. Said you had my earth magick. Said we couldn’t touch you. That basically means you’re like me, too.”
“I’m not magickal. Yes. You ga
ve me your earth magicks, but that just means I can’t be trapped. The only thing I’m good for is a fight. With my hands.”
Well, shit. She hadn’t cast in three years and she was their best chance?
They were so screwed.
PAIGE WAS DONE having angels and demons railroaded up her ass. She was sick and tired of having shit happen. It was time to take control.
She had to come up with a weapon that was physical, but also imbued with demon magick. Earth and ethereal. She followed Dexx back to the inn, racking her brain. Quick, easy. Something she could whip up quickly for immediate action.
This had to end tonight. The killings had to end. The gate had to remain closed. She had to ensure the angels had zero reason to interfere in her life ever again.
She paused on the step leading to the front door of the inn and drummed her fingers against the while pillar supporting the porch roof.
Dexx came up around her and leaned against the banister, so close his body heat penetrated her thin shirt. “Bullets.”
Paige bit both her lips before she spoke. She’d never made bullets. “How do we get the magick on them?”
He lifted one shoulder. “Your department.”
“Same way he did with his knife,” Balnore said.
“Right, but I didn’t actually have anything to do with that. I found it this way. But, oh, shit. Wait. My knife.”
The light dawned. “We already have our weapon.”
Balnore shrugged. “It’s possible. Though it wasn’t created by you, so do we want to wager our lives on it?”
“I want this over tonight.”
“You’re being a bit hasty, love.”
“Would you stop calling me love?”
Lucius’ face curled up in frustration. “It’s a matter of speaking.”
“I don’t care.” She turned to Dexx. “How soon can you be ready?”
“Plan?” the hunter asked.
“No plan. Just end this shit now.”
“Bad plan.”
“Who cares?”
“Those who’d prefer to remain among the living. Bal’s right. You’re being hasty.”
She ground her teeth. “I’m tired of fucking playing. I’m tired of being played with. I’m tired of these asshats thinking I’m a goddamned toy!”
“Let’s think about this.” Dexx set his hands on her shoulders. The wind rippled his loose blue t-shirt. “This isn’t like you.”
“Yeah, well, being ‘like me’ hasn’t helped much.” She pushed passed him, evading Balnore as well.
“So now it’s time to be an idiot?” Balnore asked, following her through the door.
“This is brilliant,” Lucius said, following them up the stairs. “Let’s bring the fight to them. Only thing, where are they? Oh, wait. You can’t figure that out because your globe don’t work.”
Dexx’s tongue clicked, but nothing else was said.
Paige unlocked her room and stepped inside. “Will somebody give me something we can do?”
“Fine.” Lucius halted in the middle of the room. “I may not be magickal, but I can provide a shield in the same manner you provided me with the witch.”
Paige pursed her open lips, scrambling to recall. When she did, she snorted. “You were possessing me, and you fucking hid behind me.”
“Precisely. Now, I believe I can do something similar, though without possessing you.”
“That would be great.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Dexx stared at her like she’d grown a second nose. “This is a bad idea.”
Paige held her hands palms up at shoulder level. “Come up with a better one. We need to go find Sven. He’s probably using demons as a shield like he did in town. He crawled into me, Dexx. He used my gift to summon.”
“Oof.” Dexx clanked his front teeth together. “Well, shit. We need to test to see if his idea will even work.”
With a sigh, Paige stood in front of Lucius. “Okay. Shield me.”
Lucius winced. “It was a brilliant plan inside my head.”
“Then get it outside your head. That’s where we need it.” She crouched, reaching deep inside herself where her powers resided. “Bal, I’m attacking you.”
“Oh, great,” he said. “So I get to defend myself from you while keeping myself from possessing you. How thrilling.”
Paige rubbed her nose and glared at him.
Lucius shook out his shoulders and closed his eyes.
It was as if she’d put on noise-canceling headphones. The edge, the irritation she’d felt ever since releasing Lucius from her body eased. Her nerves settled like the hairs on her arms. She swallowed and breathed.
She fueled the air with the power of her frustration and rage. Fire leapt in her hand. With a flick of her eyebrow, she hurled it to Balnore.
He waved his fingers and the fire evaporated into smoke. “Perhaps we shouldn’t play with fire in the inn. I doubt Fanny would appreciate it.”
Right. “Okay. Well, I can tell the shield’s there. It helps. I can concentrate. Did you feel the need to possess me?”
The corners of his mouth drooped. “No. This is quite a relief.”
Lucius opened his eyes.
The edge crept back.
“It’s not as easy as I’d hoped, but I think I can keep it up as long as I can concentrate.”
“Excellent.” Paige clapped her hands. “We have a weapon. We have a way to protect me. Now all we need is their location.”
Balnore stared at the ceiling. “I’m going to regret this, but we found him. Lucius and I did.”
“Seriously.”
He nodded. “He’s in a warehouse outside of town a way.”
“What are we waiting for?” She made a beeline for the door, hopping down the stairs. This was the best chance they’d had in days. She was eager for a little pay back. They all piled into Jackie.
“So, do we have an address?” Dexx asked, the keys jingling as he put them in the ignition.
“There’s a large building,” Lucius said from the back seat.
“The old paper mill,” Balnore added. “That’s what we were going to tell you earlier, that we discovered where the demon population was hanging out.”
“The paper mill?” Paige asked. “Okay. So, large area. They’ll be inside. Lots of places for them to hide.”
“We could pause and plan better,” Balnore offered.
She sent Balnore a dirty look over the seat. “Or not.”
Dexx snorted, starting the car.
“Okay. Well, I’ll deport demons back to Hell. That should level the playing field. Then, we go after Sven. We need to end him and get that key.”
“Sounds doable, I guess,” Balnore said.
“And what will you be doing?” Paige asked.
Balnore was silent for a long moment as Jackie rumbled around them. “Staying not dead.”
Dexx took them out of town and down a highway Paige hadn’t been on before. Course, it was dark, so who knew? Maybe she had? He parked in the tall weeds along the road.
The tall paper mill stood like a zombie over a scene of broken pallets and rusted trash bin carcasses.
“Oh, look,” Dexx said, puffing his cheeks as he released a breath. “They left the light on for us.”
They had, which was great. Otherwise? Well, it would have been a bit more difficult.
Dexx got out and walked to the trunk.
Paige joined him, thinking of the spells she could use, the magicks. “It’s been three years since I did magick.”
“Oh-ho. This is going to be great.”
Paige shoved her hands in her back pockets and raked her teeth over her top lip. “Oh my god, yeah.”
He opened his mouth, but closed it. “Just do me a favor.”
“Yeah, what?”
“Don’t die until we’ve had sex.”
She snorted with laughter. “Really?”
“Really. Come on. I’m being serious.”
She tried to
push the smile off her face, but failed. “It’s hard to tell with you.”
He gripped the sides of her face, his lips hovering over hers, all humor gone. “I’m being very serious, Paige. I want you. I need you. And if you die out there before I’ve even tasted you . . .” He trailed off.
Paige stared up at his shadowed face. “Dexx, I—”
“I know,” he whispered. “But I don’t care.” He released her. “You die before we have sex, I’m bringing you back through a voodoo priest.”
DEXX POPPED THE trunk, grabbed his duffle bag and started passing out weapons. He thrust a sawed off shot gun at Paige, and stuffed several shells in her jean pocket. “Try to remember this ain’t Hollywood. You try one-handing that damn thing and it’ll knock you on your ass and break your arm.”
“I know how to handle a gun, Dexx.”
He shrugged. “Be safe. Lucius, do you need schooling?”
“No.” Lucius took the gun Dexx offered. “I caught up on a fair bit of know-how on my sojourn after jail. Besides, what I really need to do is find a place to hide. If I’m using this toy, I’m not protecting Paige.”
“Good point.”
Balnore sighed at his gun. “Innocent people will die this way.”
Dexx shot him a look of consternation. “Are you sure you’re a demon?”
Paige took the ankle holster and gun Dexx offered her. She hoped she’d remember it in the heat of battle as she’d never trained with one. “Shoot to stun.”
“Bullets don’t stun, Pea,” Dexx said, slamming the trunk shut.
She sent him a dirty look and crossed the empty highway. “Aim for legs or arms. Shoot to wound.”
“When all else fails,” Dexx said, sending Balnore a tight smile. “Just try hitting something. Preferably not us.”
Paige quirked her lips at the demon and chugged her chin in the direction of the mill. “Let’s go.”
They managed to make it as far as the building without conflict. They didn’t have much to hide behind, so stealth was out of the order. The night was still, quiet. No birds. No animals.
Dexx leaned against the pealing white painted wall. “Do you think anybody’s home?”
“Balnore, how many did you see?”
“A lot. Twenty or so, maybe?”
“If we’re done chatting?” She got three nods. “Then let’s go. Stay out of each other’s lines of fire.”
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