Demons Forever (Peachville High Demons #6)

by Sarra Cannon

  I threw the door open and stepped across the threshold.

  A few guards stopped in their tracks. A short guy tugged nervously on his t-shirt, then ran his hands over his jeans as if to smooth them out.

  "Can I help you, Princess?" His voice cracked a bit.

  I lifted my chin. "I need to talk to Jackson," I said. "Can you show me to his room?"

  The guy tossed a glance toward the back hallway, then bit his lower lip. "If you'd like, I can ask him to join you in your quarters when he's available?"

  "I'd like to see him now," I said, my jaw tight.

  The guard winced and lowered his head. Guilt slipped through a crack in my resolve. It wasn't this poor guy's fault I was angry. He hadn't done anything wrong, but I'd practically yelled at him for no reason.

  I took a deep breath and relaxed my shoulders. I'd make a terrible ruler. I wasn't cut out for this shit. "I'm sorry," I said, doing my best to soften my expression. "I just really need to talk to him. I know I'm not really supposed to be down here, but it's important. Would you mind showing me where his room is?"

  The short guy swallowed and nodded. "Sure," he said. He jerked his head toward the back hall. "I'll show you."

  I forced a smile. "Thank you." My voice hitched on a tear. I held it back and walked slowly through the hallway.

  Many of the doors down here stood wide open. Men of all ages sat together playing cards or listening to music. I felt like I'd invaded a college dorm.

  They straightened as I walked past.

  "He's here," the guard said. He motioned to a closed door near the end of the long hall.

  "Thanks again," I said.

  The guard turned to leave, then flipped back around to me. "Princess?"

  "Yes?" I asked.

  He stared down at the floor, shuffling his feet. "I'm sorry you lost your sister," he said.

  I swallowed. "I didn't lose her," I said. "I'm going to get her back."

  He looked up, eyes wide. "Oh," he said. He cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I just meant that I lost two brothers to the Order, so I know how you're feeling."

  I stared into his eyes, so full of sadness and compassion. "I'm sorry," I said, my earlier anger fading. Everywhere I turned, there was someone else who had endured great loss. The Order had taken so much from so many, it broke my heart.

  "Thank you," he said. His eyes filled with tears and he shifted and flew back down the hall.

  I straightened my shoulders and turned back to the closed door. I lifted my hand and knocked, some of my confidence shaken.

  "Not today, guys, I have some work to do," Jackson's voice called from behind the door.

  "It's me," I said, leaning in to make sure he could hear me.

  The door jerked open and Jackson pulled me into his arms. "Harper, are you okay?"

  "My sister's been kidnapped," I said. "What do you think?"

  He stepped out into the hallway and looked back toward the entrance. A large group of guys had come out into the hall to watch me, probably wondering what in the world had brought me into their space.

  "Come in," he said. He pulled me into the room and shut the door. "You aren't supposed to be down here."

  The room was small. Just big enough for a twin bed and a tiny desk that was built into the wall. There wasn't even a closet or a bathroom or anything in here. The bed was unmade, but Jackson quickly threw the comforter over the sheets and smoothed out a place for us to sit.

  "I know," I said. "I didn't even really mean to come down here, but I didn't know where else to go."

  "What's going on?" he asked.

  "My father," I said. "He's so impossible."

  "What happened?"

  Jackson sat down on the bed, but I paced the small space in front of him.

  "He won't even consider going after her," I said. "He said I needed to let her go. What the hell? He's this almighty king, but he's too afraid to fight for his own daughter's life? I don't understand it."

  Jackson leaned forward, resting his elbows against his legs. "I can't say I'm surprised," he said.

  I clenched my hands into fists. "Why is everyone so quick to give up around here? I thought shadow demons were supposed to be powerful and strong?" I said. "What happened to being brave? Or is everyone in this world completely chicken-shit?"

  Jackson stood and ran a nervous hand through his hair. "You might not want to say that so loud," he pointed toward the door. "Remember where you are and who you're talking about."

  "Let them hear me," I said, reaching for the door handle. "I want to know the truth. Why does everyone here refuse to fight?"

  Jackson shifted and reappeared between me and the door. He took my hands and walked me back toward the bed. "That's not entirely fair," he said. "Everyone out there has lost someone important."

  "I know. That's exactly what I'm talking about." I shrugged out of his embrace. "I don't understand why they don't all band together and go rescue the ones who have been taken. Everyone in this city has a terrible story about someone they love being taken. Why don't they fight back like you did? Why don't they force their way through and take them back?"

  "I wasn't so successful, if you remember," Jackson said. "Before you came along, I'd been powerless for nearly fifty years. The Order is too strong, Harper. You know that. A lot of shadow demons have gone after their loved ones. They never come home. If it wasn't for the fact that my presence made Aerden stronger, I wouldn't have survived either."

  I clenched my teeth and made a choked sound. "I'm not going to just let them take her," I said. "I can't do that."

  "I know," he said.

  I looked up at him. I hadn't expected him to agree with me. "So you'll come with me when I go?"

  He took my hands again and this time I didn't pull away. "It's you and me, Harper." He leaned down and kissed my forehead, his lips warm and soft against my skin. "Till the day I die."

  I put my arms around his waist and pressed my body against his, finding strength in his words.

  "My father said I'll just get myself killed," I said. "Do you think he's right?"

  Jackson hugged me tighter. "I've seen you fight your way through the most impossible situations," he said. "I think if anyone can save her, it's you."

  I smiled and buried my face in his shirt. "Thank you," I whispered.

  We stood together in silence, our hearts beating in unison. Our future uncertain, but the path chosen.

  After a while, I pulled away and sat down on his bed. "Coach King died." I stared down at my hands.

  Jackson's shoulders slumped and he leaned back against the stone wall. "I heard."

  "I was there when he passed away," I said. "I've never seen anything like that before. It was beautiful in a way."

  "You saw the lights?" he asked.

  I nodded.

  "When a demon passes into the Afterworld, you see their true soul's colors," he said. "The more beautiful the spirit, the more beautiful the lights."

  "I always thought he was a jerk," I said. I slipped my shoes off and brought my feet up on to the bed and hugged my knees close to my chest. "I completely misjudged him. All he was ever doing was trying to protect my sister and keep tabs on the Order."

  "What was it he wanted to talk to you about?" Jackson asked.

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small square of paper Coach King had given me. I handed it to Jackson.

  His mouth dropped open. "I've seen this hair pin," he said. "Where did he get this?"

  "Zara gave it to him. She was supposed to finish him off and he thought she was coming over to strike the final blow. Instead, she handed him this drawing and told him to get it to me as soon as possible. She said it was the key to saving my sister," I said. "Where have you seen it?"

  "I'll show you," Jackson said, standing. He crossed to his desk, opened the top drawer and pulled out his drawing pad. He flipped through a few pages, then handed it to me.

  My eyes widened. "When did you draw this?"


  "Two days ago," he said.

  The drawing was a close-up of me in profile. The main detail of the picture was a beautifully ornate butterfly pin in my hair.

  "I thought it was just another vision of you," he said. His lips turned up slightly in one corner. "I get them a lot. Visions of your face or your eyes. Nothing too specific as far as what's happening or what you're doing. Just pictures of you. I saw this butterfly so clearly, but wasn't sure how it was important."

  I started to flip to the next page, but Jackson pulled the pad away from me.

  "Don't," he said. "There are things in here I don't want you to see until you're really ready to see them."

  I crossed my arms in front of my chest. I hated when he kept his drawings a secret from me, but I had too much on my mind to sit there and argue with him about it.

  "The butterfly pin was a gift from Zara," I said. "After my Heritage ceremony at Winterhaven."

  "Did she tell you anything about it? Does it have some kind of special magic attached to it?"

  I shook my head and leaned back against the wall. "I have no idea," I said. "She never said a word about it except that it was a gift."

  "Where is it now?" Jackson leaned against the edge of his desk.

  "I put it in the drawer of that mirrored dressing table in my room at Shadowford," I said. "I never even wore it or anything, but who knows if my stuff is still there or not? For all we know, the Order cleared everything out."

  He brought a finger to his mouth, thinking. "I wish we had some clue as to why she wanted you to have it," he said. "Do you think we can really trust her?"

  I thought about Zara's bruised face the last time I saw her. The day Priestess Winter almost killed me in the ritual room. I nodded. "Yes, I think we can."

  Jackson stared down at the drawing. "Then we have to find that butterfly."

  The Beginning Of The End

  "What we need is a plan," I said, nerves knotting in my stomach. If we were really going to do this, I knew it would be the most difficult thing I'd ever faced in my life. Hunters were nothing compared to Priestess Winter herself.

  "And reinforcements," Jackson said.

  I turned to him. "It's too dangerous. No one thinks we even have a chance," I said. "Who would possibly come?"

  "Mary Anne for one," he said. "If we're going back to Peachville, she's going to want to come with us."

  I rubbed my forehead. I hadn't even thought about Mary Anne coming along. We could certainly use her help, but was it fair to ask her to risk her life again? It wasn't like she was best friends with Mrs. King or anything.

  Angela.

  I was going to have to get used to thinking of her by her first name now. Angela King. I wasn't even sure I'd ever heard her first name before last night. But now she was more than just a teacher or a cheerleading instructor. She was my sister. I figured that put us on an automatic first-name basis.

  "If Mary Anne comes, Essex will probably want to come too," he said. Then he cleared his throat. "Maybe Lea will come."

  The mention of his ex-fiancee made heat flare across my cheeks. She was a princess like me. Well, not exactly like me because she was fully demon, but we had a lot more in common than I'd ever dreamed. She loved Jackson, I was sure of it. I wasn't so sure she'd want to help us. Or ever see me again, for that matter.

  All three of them had stayed behind in the Underground. Would they really come with us back to Peachville to fight? "There's only one way to find out," I said. "The communication stones are up in my room. I'll have to go up and call."

  "Tell Mary Anne they'll need to leave right away," Jackson said. "We don't know what the Order's plans are for your sister. We don't know how much time we have."

  I shuddered at the thought of her trapped in some torture room at Winterhaven. I had no doubt the Order had taken her to get to me, but what were they planning to do with her?

  Jackson was right. We had to hurry.

  "If they hurt her..." Tears welled up in my eyes and I pressed my lips tight. They'd taken her because of me. I'd never forgive myself if she died.

  "We'll get her back," Jackson said, taking my hand in his.

  I looked into his green eyes and saw faith there. The fact that he believed in me made me love him even more.

  "We'll save my sister," I said, squeezing his hand. "And then we'll save your brother."

  The gravity of the statement nearly took my breath away. We'd spent months here in the shadow world avoiding the Order. Doing everything we could to stay hidden and stay alive. Still, through it all, I knew they would eventually catch up with us. I knew eventually we would have to fight.

  It suddenly hit me that this was the moment. This was the beginning of the end for us. One way or another, we were about to start the journey that would lead us to freedom or to death.

  The World To Me

  "Harper?"

  The red stones glowed bright in my palm.

  I smiled and pressed my free hand to my chest. It was so good to hear Mary Anne's voice.

  "Hey," I said. "Can you talk? Something's happened."

  "Of course," Mary Anne said. "Are you and Jackson alright?"

  "We're fine," I said. I paused. Where did I even start? "Do you remember that I told you about my mother's journal and how she said my father was married to a woman in Peachville?"

  "Yes."

  "And they had a daughter?"

  Mary Anne gasped. "Harper, are you saying you found your sister?"

  I took a deep breath. Every time I thought about her, hot tears threatened to spill from my eyes. I needed to pull myself together and be strong for all our sakes.

  "It's Mrs. King," I said. "The Order's kidnapped her."

  "Oh my god, are you serious?" she said. "I'm so sorry, Harper. We've got to go after her."

  The anger and determination in her tone brought the tears even closer.

  "I know it's not totally fair to ask you to come with us, but-"

  "Bullshit," Mary Anne said. "I'm coming. Just tell me what to do."

  I stared down at the small red stones that allowed me to talk to Mary Anne. Even though she was hundreds of miles away, I felt so close to her and so incredibly grateful to have a friend like her.

  "You'll need to leave as soon as possible," I said. "Do you think Essex will come with you? I don't want you traveling alone."

  "I will not leave her side," Essex said.

  I hadn't realize he was there with her, but I was so relieved to hear him say he'd come with her. "Thank you. We can use all the help we can get." I swallowed my pride. "Will you ask Lea if she will come too?"

  Mary Anne paused. "We can ask," she said. "I have to be honest with you, though. Lea's been kind of distant lately. She barely even talks to us anymore. I don't know if she'll even listen."

  Mixed emotions rushed through me. Lea wasn't my favorite person in the world. Still, I knew she was important to Jackson. And she was powerful. We needed her help, especially if we survived long enough to attempt the ritual to free Aerden.

  "At least try," I said. "Tell her we're going to try to free Jackson's brother. Maybe that will convince her to come."

  I'd already explained the ritual reversal to Mary Anne last time we'd talked. We hadn't had a lot of time, but I'd managed to tell her we'd settled here in the Southern Kingdom and I'd found my father. What she didn't know was that he was a demon. Or that he was the king.

  "How long do you think it will take us to get to you?"

  "Essex, can you shift into demon form and carry Mary Anne with you?" I asked. "If you can travel that way, you could be here in a day. Maybe two at most."

  "Yes. This is something I can do," he said. "We will move as fast as we can."

  "Do we need to bring anything with us?" Mary Anne asked.

  "Bags," I said, thinking of Essex's trade as a tailor. "We'll need to be able to move easily and travel light. Besides that, just bring anything you think you might need in the human world."

  "We
can do that," Mary Anne said. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

  "Thank you. This means the world to me," I said. "I'll have two guards waiting for you at the border. They'll escort you to the city. Please be careful. There are hunters everywhere these days. Keep your eyes open."

  "Guards?" she asked. "How did you manage to get their help?"

  I cleared my throat. "Piotrek and Liroth are their names and they'll show you where to go once you get into the city. There are a few things I haven't had a chance to explain just yet, but you'll see when you get here."

  "We'll be there as soon as we can," Mary Anne said.

  The light inside the stones faded as she disconnected, and I said a silent prayer that fate would make their journey swift and safe.

  On Our Side

  Jackson and I sat alone at the dinner table.

  My father hadn't joined us once since our argument in the throne room. In fact, he seemed to be avoiding me all together. We hadn't spoken at all in two days.

  I understood why he didn't want me to go after her alone. What I didn't understand was why he wasn't coming with me. The idea of a father who wouldn't risk everything for the life of his own daughters was beyond me. What was he so afraid of?

  I knew I needed to let go of my anger and focus on the plan to save Angela. Still, I couldn't help but be disappointed in my father. Did he even care about me at all?

  "You need to eat," Jackson said. "You're going to need your strength."

  I realized I'd been pushing my food around instead of actually putting any of it in my mouth. I stabbed a piece of broccoli and forced it into my mouth. I didn't have much of an appetite these days, but I knew he was right. I couldn't live on fury alone.

  "Let's go over the plan one more time," he said.

  I started to list the things we'd talk about so far when a familiar voice in the hall caught my attention.

  "I'm sure she won't mind if we interrupt her dinner. Trust me, she'd be more upset if you didn't tell her we were here."