The Demon Within (A PeaceKeeper Novel)

by Stacey Brutger

  She unconsciously touched her weapons, wincing at so many empty slots. “To avoid a trap, the meeting will be held tonight outside the hotel during café hours.” She needed Ruman as her eyes and ears while she focused her senses on the informant. Relying on him didn’t disturb her. And that should’ve bothered her more than it did.

  “But that’s not what has you on edge, is it?”

  Damn man was too perceptive. She hesitated then shook her head, choosing the lesser of the two evils. She couldn’t tell him that his proximity had her second-guessing herself. Men always read too much into things. “Oscar insisted on secrecy to the point of isolation. We didn’t even know a larger group existed until today. Why would he do that?”

  A stillness passed over him, and she knew he understood what she’d really asked.

  “You already know the answer.” The raspy answer sounded torn from him.

  She turned away so he wouldn’t see the way his reply crushed her. She knew Oscar hated her, she just never knew how much.

  “He had to keep you safe.” The caressing tone of his voice slashed through her defenses, and her head snapped up.

  “Safe is not what comes to mind when I think of Oscar.” Bitterness thickened her words. She wished she’d never brought up the subject. He didn’t know the truth, and if she had her way, he’d never find out about her past.

  Ruman shook his head slowly as if sensing an undercurrent in her words. “You don’t know, do you?”

  She refused to look at him, almost wishing the elevator would drop them. Anything to escape. “We’re going to be late.”

  “Everything Oscar did was to protect you. The old fool used the wrong methods, but he did what he thought best by raising you as one of his men.”

  He’d raised her the way he did to study her. Hadn’t he? Buzzing filled her ears. “You weren’t there, didn’t see what he did.” He had to be wrong.

  He gave her a pointed look. “I know he managed to keep you alive after numerous demon attacks. That’s nearly an impossible thing.”

  Steam rolled out from under her collar, but she couldn’t tell him the truth. Her past had to remain in the past if she had any hope of protecting her friends. Part of her knew if he learned the truth, he wouldn’t touch her again. He made no secret of his hatred of demons.

  “You don’t understand.” And she would do anything to keep it that way.

  “He gave you the tools you needed to stay alive.” Ruman pressed the lobby button then stood by her side as they descended. Neither looked at the other. “Forgive him or don’t, but you needed to know that he thought you were worth saving. Even at the cost of his own life.”

  Caly couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat. Oscar wouldn’t give his life for a demon. Could she be remembering the past through the eyes of a frightened child? Memories cascaded in her mind, seen through new eyes, a new perspective. Could the old man actually have been trying to protect her, searching for a cure instead of experimenting on her for answers to his precious cause?

  Ruman turned everything she believed on end. Even what she believed about herself. A chink appeared in her armor, and he kept wrenching it open, making her vulnerable.

  Making her care about him when she knew it was the worst possible thing for either of them.

  Just standing close to him had her body humming. She wanted to push him away, but feared it was already much too late.

  The bell dinged, and his hand settled at the small of her back. Caly jerked at the contact. The touch was light, comforting, with only her blade and a thin shirt separating them. The warmth from his hand spread, making her very aware of every inch of her body and every subtle move of his. It put her on edge, both with the need to run and the ache to get closer.

  “Ready?”

  Caly jumped at the sound of his voice. Realizing he held the elevator door open, she blushed harder and hurried into the lobby.

  Then jerked to a halt.

  “What—”

  Caly held up a hand. “Someone’s here.”

  “Where?” Ruman crowded closer, his body between hers and the would-be attacker. Idiot man.

  “Close.” Narrowing her gaze, she swept the posh lobby. The café was clear, only a few people lingered. The place had a clean but empty air. They both moved cautiously forward, weaving around the few plush chairs. Caly slipped her fingers over the blade’s handle, cool leather met her fingertips like a reassuring presence, but refrained from pulling the weapon in public.

  When they neared the entrance, the dark world outside came into focus. A petite woman with an exotic look that drew the gaze waited by the ancient stone fountain in the courtyard. Their contact. She’d bet her blades on that. Black hair shimmered in the light from the nearby street lamp. If she moved back a few more inches, she’d disappear into the darkness. Smart.

  The girl couldn’t be much older than herself. It was the way she held herself, the lack of movement, that drew Caly’s gaze. “There.” She tipped her head, and Ruman nodded when he spotted her.

  Deciding the direct approach would be best, she strode outside, Ruman a comforting presence at her back. The woman lifted her chin in acknowledgement, but her hand remained hidden under the jacket next to her, a subtle warning she was armed. Caly glimpsed a rough, badly healed scar across her right cheek before the woman tilted her head. Strands of dark hair slid forward, hiding her in shadows.

  “Parthina Armor?”

  “You would bring a demon?” Narrowed eyes focused on Ruman, rendering judgment from her ice-cold blue gaze.

  Caly shifted in front of him, unnerved, but not surprised, at the animosity coming from another hunter. She let the blade strapped to her arm slide into her palm. No one touched him. “He’s my guardian.”

  Her expression turned reflective. “Something like a guardian angel?”

  The woman’s interest unnerved her more than the threat. Caly forced herself to relax. They needed this meeting. “You’ve seen another.” It wasn’t a question.

  Parthina laughed. “I couldn’t get rid of the overprotective brute if I tried.”

  A sigh escaped Caly. “I know what you mean.” She cast an annoyed glance at Ruman, then looked back. “Where’s your protector?”

  Before Parthina had a chance to reply, Ruman wrapped an arm across her upper chest, shoulder to shoulder, pulling her back into his embrace.

  “No.” The possessive growl came low in his throat, startling her almost as much as his action.

  Although she couldn’t see his expression, she heard the threat. The woman paled but didn’t otherwise react.

  “He’s right. Angels work best unseen.” She looked around the small square. “All the better to keep watch.”

  Though Ruman slowly released her, he remained pressed tight against her back. Caly tried to stand firm, but her body melted into his. “You have some information on the killings?”

  Parthina nodded sharply. “They’ve hit a few areas in America and need to be stopped. If your group can’t do it, they’ll send others who won’t care who’s caught in the crossfire. The killings are selective, targeting men and women who’ve survived demon attacks.”

  Caly froze, the implications striking her mute for a second. “They killed my men.”

  Wisdom shone through Parthina’s almost too-pale blue eyes. There was something eerie about looking directly into them, something not quite of this world. Something bad. “They were only in the way.”

  “How do you know?” Caly stuck out her chin. Parthina had to be wrong.

  “Did the demons test the blood of those they killed?”

  “No.” The night of the temple remained imprinted on her mind. She didn’t have to think about the answer.

  “They slaughtered your men because they got in their way. The ones they search for are special. The demons test the blood of the ones they capture. Fail the test and die.” She turned away, letting her hand trail in the water.

  “Has anyone passed?”

  A b
itter smile curled her lips. “None they caught.”

  Caly’s heart jumped at those dark words. Surely she must’ve misunderstood. “What do you mean?”

  She looked up from under her lashes. “Do I need to spell it out?”

  Horror cracked through her composure. David’s conversation this morning now made sense. The woman was not part of a main group. She was an assassin, a cleaner of sorts, called in to handle matters when things went bad and needed to be swept away. “Is there no other way?”

  The dark headed woman shook her head, surprised at being asked. The answer was obvious in the sadness that swirled in her eyes.

  “And me? Are you here to answer questions or kill me, too? Am I a complication that needs to be fixed?” Ruman’s absolute stillness let her know his whole attention was centered on the answer.

  A nerve jumped in Parthina’s jaw. She cast a glance at Ruman, her gaze calculating. “I think not.”

  The answer baffled Caly, and she moved away from Ruman for more room. She couldn’t allow herself to relax. Parthina agreed to the meeting to either warn her away or kill her. Neither was acceptable. “Why the special treatment?”

  “Let’s say you’re different and leave it at that.”

  “Let’s not.” She couldn’t afford to be looking over her shoulder every second to see if a trained assassin was on her ass. Enough people wanted her dead already.

  The woman had the audacity to smile, although it faded quickly. “We’re much alike, I think.” She held up her hand before Caly could interrupt. “Answer me this first. How did you know it was me here when you first left the elevator? You knew in seconds.”

  “You’ve been touched by a demon.” Even as she said it, Caly knew it wasn’t the whole true. In a flick of her wrist, Caly flipped her blade forward and crouched into a smaller target. “You still carry the demon.” The darkness surged forward, her demon snapping at the restraints. She was an idiot for not suspecting sooner.

  “As you once did yourself. The only difference between us is you can survive on your own. To separate me from what remains of my demon would kill me.” She sounded like she almost wished it had. Caly knew that feeling, the self-loathing.

  Then she became aware of what had been revealed. Caly stiffened at the absolute stillness behind her, too horrified to turn and see the disgust on Ruman’s face. She had only herself to blame. But in the choice between keeping her secret and saving the lives of her friends, she couldn’t kept her mouth shut. She’d pick her friends every time.

  Parthina stood and gathered her coat and whatever weapon hidden inside. Caly refused to look at Ruman, focusing on Parthina as she walked away, knowing her carefully constructed world was now ash at her feet. Parthina hesitated almost like she felt she had to explain.

  “What remains of my demon allows me to do my job and survive. It grants me an edge to fight when a normal human would’ve died.” She turned, revealing the scarred side of her face. “A word of advice.”

  Caly braced herself for a blow.

  “Kill yourself before you allow yourself to be captured. Save me the trouble of hunting you.” The sharp click of her heels on the cobblestone echoed eerily in the silence. The feminine way she walked reminded Caly of a cat. All sleek muscle. Unpredictable and dangerous.

  The other group had sent an assassin either suspecting a trap or to get rid of her group if deemed necessary. They couldn’t allow the main group to become endangered. Caly’s group could expect no help from that quarter.

  Caly remained tense well after the woman had disappeared. There it was. Her shameful past out on display. Not sparing a glance to Ruman, Caly replaced her knife, ignoring the way her fingers shook.

  “Would you like to explain?” The words were casual, and she risked a quick glance at him. The gathering storm she saw in his eyes belied his tone. The naked distrust slashed through the already fragile shell of her emotions.

  She dropped her gaze, her chest so tight she could barely gather enough air to speak. “Not particularly.”

  His hand snapped out, and he grabbed her arm with bruising force as he whirled her toward him. The dark expression on his usually placid face shot a fissure of cold through her gut. The warmth she saw just hours ago was gone.

  “Release me.” A twist of her body forced his hold to loosen. This time, instead of a tussle, he did as told, almost like he was disgusted to touch her. The cold spread, wrapping around her heart with numbing frost.

  She knew this would happen. She’d let herself believe he would be different. The half-formed hope she had for them shriveled into dust.

  Ruman despised demons. Even she couldn’t stand what she’d become. How could she expect someone else to.

  Pivoting sharply, Caly blindly walked into the hotel. Unwilling to remain trapped in the elevator with him, she opted for the stairwell. Of course, he followed with his damming silence.

  The story he’d told her of how he let one of his assignments die without offering assistance haunted her. Now that he knew the truth, she’d be a fool to trust him. When she least expected it, when she needed him most, he’d turn against her without a qualm.

  Like everyone else she allowed to get close, he would disappoint her in the end. Once the group back at the base learned the truth, she’d become their number one target.

  Demons were evil, dangerous creatures. She’d been told that often enough. They always left a trail of destruction in their wake. Proof she had seen firsthand.

  She’d kept her past a secret for years. Oscar made sure she remained quiet. For her own good, he said. Ruman almost made her believe that Oscar wanted to protect her. Now that the truth was out, she knew he’d give her a different answer.

  Caly finally understood why Oscar remained distant from everyone. Fellow hunters might kill her if they found out, but friends would rip her heart out without lifting a hand.

  Passkey in hand, she let herself into her room and collected her cases. Ruman would be over in a few minutes. She heard him in the other room even now. It’d be best to be gone before he could kick her out. She touched the leather strip he used to tie back her hair, reluctant to part with the only thing she had of him. Her hand tightened around the strap, and she wound it around her wrist instead. Careful not to make a sound, Caly allowed the door to latch silently behind her.

  Downstairs, she hailed a taxi. “The nearest library, please.” Although her Arabic was atrocious, thanks to Kelly’s crash course, the taxi driver understood.

  They’d traveled to Egypt to find Dudael, a legendary desert mentioned in the Bible as the place Azazel had been imprisoned. Ruman carried the answers, and without him, she had to do some legwork. She might not be able to read Arabic, but she could read maps. She stared through her reflection in the window. All that mattered now was to make sure her friends stayed alive.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Things clicked into place for Ruman. The way she moved, the way she sensed him when he watched her from the shadowy world of the Between, especially the way she sensed other demons. It galled him to admit it, but he completely missed the signs.

  Ruman had thought Caly was something Other. Not human, not a demon or an angel, but a combination of all three and accepted by none.

  The woman had gone through hell and come out stronger when few humans even survive something as traumatic as possession. Anger had churned in him at the secret, the jibes she’d thrown at him for being a demon and the distance she maintained because of it. But the anger burned away by the time they finished climbing the stairs. He watched her disappear inside her room, forcing himself not to follow and allowing her time to come to grips with what they’d learned.

  “Hello, Ruman.”

  Shock widened his eyes, and Ruman’s head snapped up. “Melech? What are you doing here?”

  Then he made the connection. “You’re Parthina’s angel.” The joy of see a fellow angel dimmed. Caly’s request to view the angel still had fury riding him hard.

  “You a
lways were a smart one.” Melech straightened from his relaxed pose, stepping away from the wall. “Still getting into trouble I see.” He nodded to Caly’s room and smirked.

  A low growl rumbled from his chest and it was all Ruman could do not to snarl. She was his, and he didn’t like the extra attention Melech directed at her.

  “Hey,” Melech held up his hands. “I have my hands full with the one I guard. I have no interest in yours.”

  Ruman snorted, and his fists slowly uncurled. When the proprietary emotions cleared his mind, he saw the strain around his friend’s eyes, a certain tightness around his mouth. “You’re not the guardian type.”

  Melech looked all the more disgruntled at the comment. “She found a spell book and accidentally summoned me. It’s a long story.”

  “Accidentally summoned?” Ruman raised a brow at the almost unheard of action of capturing an angel.

  “What concerns me the most is the increase in demon attacks around my charge and the lack of any type of angelic assistance. Have you had any contact with any of the others in the last few days?”

  He considered Melech’s question carefully then shook his head. “My sentence allows only limited contact at best. I’ve had no contact with anyone since my awakening.”

  “Nor have I.” Melech paused. “You’re the only other angel I’ve seen.”

  The slight hitch caught Ruman’s attention. He glanced quickly at the connecting door, uneasy at Caly’s silence, but he couldn’t give up this opportunity to gain information if it meant it could help him save her life. “You hesitated.”

  “Lailah’s here on her yearly…sabbatical.”

  Ruman grunted. Lailah was an angel. Most of the time, anyway. Once a year, she was sent to earth to live life as a human in punishment for some un-angelic character flaws. “I don’t think she counts.”

  “Then we are the only angels left to keep our women alive.” The ominous words echoed in the room.

  One question lingered at the back of Ruman’s mind, a tenuous leap at best. “Have you had any complications with your powers?” It was obvious Melech didn’t want to answer in the way he avoided his gaze, so Ruman spoke first. “Since I met Caly, my powers have…altered.”