The Demon Within (A PeaceKeeper Novel)

by Stacey Brutger

  Caly instinctively shifted closer to Brie. But not fast enough. The barrel swiveled in Brie’s direction.

  The gun barked as he fired.

  “You bastard.” Caly barely heard Jarred’s shout.

  Disbelief swamped her as the bullet took Brie high in the meaty part of her shoulder. Caly battled instinct to go to her, terrified that because Brie was part human, another shot would kill her.

  Brie clutched her shoulder and lifted her chin. Though pale, she was still in the game. In silent agreement, she spanned outward, creeping closer to Henry so slowly, Caly could scarcely tell she’d moved. Caly did the same, forming a semi-circle with Ruman and Brie on either side. He wouldn’t be able to watch them all at one time.

  “Henry.” A woman’s soft voice came from behind him. The petite woman sashayed down the stairs in a leisurely fashion, her movements graceful and oddly hypnotic.

  “Felicia, go back to our room.”

  “Why would I want to do anything of the sort?” She smiled slightly at him, dismissing him as she surveyed the room. Her attention landed on Caly and lingered.

  For a fraction of a second, Henry hesitated. “Felicia, honey. Why don’t you—”

  “Oh, do shut up.” With a sweet smile, Felicia swung out sharply, her fist connecting to his temple. Henry collapsed in a heap. The weapons he’d held clattered against the hard floor.

  Taking advantage of the distraction, Caly crouched, her hand inches from her blade when the creature spoke.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Even before she finished, the room filled with a dark fog. The air became murky, condensed as shadowy outlines took shape. Faces and bodies appeared eerily out of the mist one part at a time. In seconds, a contingent of demons was fully formed and ready for battle.

  They were surrounded.

  Caly’s smile was all teeth, and Ruman recognized the look of trouble.

  “Then I’m lucky I’m not you.” In cadence, both Caly and Brie attacked. Brie disappeared and reappeared behind the demon stalking Caly, snapping the creature’s neck, incapacitating him for a few seconds.

  Caly twisted sideways and kicked the demon’s legs out from under him. Brie leapt back as Caly slammed a knife in the stunned demon’s chest.

  The handle quivered. The creature stared at it in shock. A wail filled the room loud enough to shake the windows. The demon dissolved into dust. Before the sound faded, the blade thudded to the ground and a sweet, charred smell filled the room.

  “Thanks.”

  Caly smirked, giving her a jaunty salute. “No problem.”

  Despite her wound, Brie kicked the blade, sending it spinning back through the air and into the flesh of another demon who tried to sneak up on them.

  The two girls grinned as if playing a game; one as bad as the other. “Watch your backs.” Ruman spoke through tightly clenched teeth, snagging the back of a shirt as a demon streaked toward Caly, jerking the creature off its feet and slamming him into the ground.

  Caly grunted, and dispatched the small demon in front of her. “I thought that was why you were here.”

  Ruman marched toward Caly, ready to wring her neck. A kick sent the demon in front of him sailing through the air. Never once did he take his gaze off her form. Beneath the haze of worry, he saw her as she was born to be.

  Each movement was smooth, much like a dancer. She was efficient, no wasted energy. Beauty in motion. Similar to Brie, she easily dispatched the nearest demon. But she was human, she was vulnerable.

  In a leap, he tackled a demon that slunk close to the floor, trying to inch up while Caly had her back turned. The demon shifted under him and melted away. Unwilling to give up his prey, Ruman slammed the body hard against the tiles.

  The creature shimmered and reformed, shrieking loud enough to ring his ears. Vicious claws struck out. Without a weapon, his only way to kill the creature was by ripping him apart.

  Then he saw the metal blade Brie had kicked a few feet in the distance. He stretched, his muscles burned. His fingers touched the pommel, pushing it further away. He grabbed for it again, managing to palm the knife.

  Although his flesh didn’t dissolve, the metal withered his hand. He struck fast, praying he had the strength to penetrate the demon’s tough hide.

  The blade lodged in the demon’s chest, deep enough to annoy but not kill. The creature hissed, his teeth elongating, snapping at Ruman’s face. Great globs of spit flew, and the rotten breath choked him.

  “Need help?” David’s feet came into view.

  “I got it.” Ruman twisted the blade, scraping along the ribs before it sank deep, reducing the demon to ash.

  With a heavy thump, Ruman hit the ground hard enough to lose his breath. The blade he held clattered next to him. Cradling his hand, Ruman rolled to his back and faced his unexpected ally.

  The cavalry has arrived. A movement drew his eye.

  “Behind you.” Ruman yanked David’s legs out from under him, barely saving him from being beheaded. Ruman vaulted to his feet. Like the others, the demon looked human enough to pass, but underneath where the rage simmered, Ruman could see the creature’s face waver, contorting with hatred. The body grew round, appearing bloated and waxy, almost like the creature had stood too close to a fire and melted.

  Ruman grabbed the creature’s arm and twisted his body, tossing the massive blob over his shoulder. The demon squealed when he landed on the spear David held. In a puff of gray dust, the demon disintegrated. David blinked in surprise, spitting out a mouthful of powder. Ruman extended his hand, silently helping him to his feet.

  The second team poured into the building and some of the anxiety that churned in Ruman’s gut eased. The overwhelming odds seemed a little more manageable. He might be able to get Caly out of this alive yet.

  Desperate to find her in the commotion, he plunged into the fray. A sharp sting on his arm and a fierce burning jerked him around to face the new threat. Four light lines crossed his upper shoulder. The only thing that prevented the claws from cleaving him down to the bone was Caly.

  She stood with her back to him, fighting a djinn three times her size.

  Protecting him.

  And losing. A particularly nasty blow rocked her back a foot, but she didn’t go down.

  The demon looked at him and snarled, sensing his prey was about to be snatched away. Before Ruman could reach him, the image shimmered and contorted in a grotesque display of muscle and bone. A large gray wolf materialized, its fur matted and missing in spots, teeth yellow. From the feral look of the beast, he would guess a ghoul, a malicious species of djinn who normally frequented the Valley of Death and delighted in dining on flesh. One of the few demons who could transform into something else without a host.

  The animal’s muscles bunched, those beady eyes aimed at Caly with a single mindedness that wouldn’t be denied. Caly braced herself. Acting instinctively, Ruman leapt forward, taking the brunt of the weight intended to snap Caly’s neck.

  Fangs pierce his shoulder, muscles shredded under its powerful jaws. Nausea rose and he gritted his teeth. It was all he could do to contain the creature’s massive claws as the wolf’s teeth tore into his flesh.

  In seconds, the ghoul disappeared. Grains of fine powder drifted over him, leaving Ruman clutching air and staring at Caly’s beautiful face. Chest heaving, he sucked in a sharp breath and inhaled a mouthful of bittersweet sand. He hacked, clutching his shoulder as agony tore through him.

  “You alright?”

  Ruman saw her concern and waved her away. If Caly thought he was injured, she’d try to protect him, even if it cost her.

  Caly waved her knife in salute and spun away. The recklessness he feared manifested itself in the way she threw herself into battle without regard for herself.

  She was good.

  Damn good.

  But still only human.

  The one called Felicia shifted to a fine mist and gathered over Caly’s head, waiting to strike. She couldn’t be allowed t
o touch Caly. Nearly indestructible in that form, Ruman scoured his brain for a way to bring her down without harming Caly.

  He could flash in and out of the Between but his body wasn’t equipped to remain insolvent. He had minutes at most before the pain became intolerable.

  Resolve hardened, Ruman took a deep breath and shifted, his body falling through space. His form twisted, bones crunched, his flesh bubbled, dissolving bit by bit until only mist remained.

  Pain tormented his body, threatening to overwhelm his mind. Each particle screamed in agony, fighting to reform. Ignoring everything but the need to protect Caly, Ruman joined the dark mass hovering in the air. Before he could surround Felicia, the putrid cloud smashed into him. He battled to stay vaporous as each touch threatened to drop him twenty feet to the floor.

  Ruman bore the leprous touch, methodically entwining himself around each particle and bracing himself for the abrupt, jarring pain of shifting back.

  As his bones and flesh formed out of the mist, he hauled Felicia with him. Crippled by the jump and the power it took to pull someone with him, Ruman staggered as gravity took hold.

  With an evil smile, Felicia lashed out with her boot. The kick struck dead center of his chest. He careened backward into the elevator.

  Searing heat slammed along his back, a fierce wave that increased with every breath like someone had ripped away a chunk of his flesh. Reaching up, he encountered the metal strip from the elevator cage protruding out of his shoulder.

  Pain twisted through him, and he grimaced. Determined to guard Caly, he walked forward, ignoring the juicy sound of his blood as the metal slowly exited his flesh.

  His vision wavered, and he fell to the floor as the last of the metal slipped from his body. His face cracked into the tile with a sickening thud. Cold stole up through the floor, his eyesight dimmed. He failed her.

  “I got you,” Brie spoke softly, but he didn’t feel her touch as she pulled him to safety.

  He focused on Caly, centering her image in his mind as death claimed him.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  “What happened?” The words were slurred. Fighting vertigo, Ruman struggled to make his body obey his commands. He managed to prop himself up on his hands and knees with his second try. His vision returned with frustrating slowness. Through blurred eyes, he viewed what was left of the apartment building.

  “Caly!”

  “Easy now.” Brie grabbed his shoulder to steady him. “She’s fine.”

  He battled to stand, frustrated at how easily Brie held him down while wounded herself. “How much time have I lost?”

  “Ten minutes at most.”

  Ruman staggered to his feet, unsatisfied with the vague answer. Until he saw Caly with his own eyes, nothing would satisfy him.

  “Stubborn,” Brie muttered under her breath, but she took mercy on him and swung his arm over her shoulder, taking the brunt of his weight, wincing at the strain on her own injury. “She’s over here.”

  Each breath shuddered out of his chest; pain sawed through his body as it fought to heal. Each shuffling step jarred his wounds, and he clutched his chest, trying to keep the broken ribs from doing more damage.

  He jerked up short and forgot everything the instant he spied Caly.

  Though bloodied, she continued to fight one of the few remaining demons with a single-mindedness that was as awe-inspiring as it was disturbing.

  He pulled away from Brie to go to her.

  “Whoa, big boy. You’ll only be a distraction.” Brie grabbed the back of his shirt, halting him with pathetic ease. “Caly saw you injured. She didn’t see you die trying to save her life.”

  “Good.” He leveled dark eyes at her, putting as much command in them as he could muster. “And you won’t tell her.”

  “What? That you have only one life left?” Brie refused to answer his demand; instead, she turned her gaze to Caly. Her voice was solemn when she spoke. “She deserves to know.”

  “I’m her guardian. I’ll not have her know that I failed.”

  Brie snorted. “You two are so much alike.” She quieted a moment, watching the fighting. “A few words of advice.” She dropped her arm, propped him up against the wall and tightened the bloody make-shift bandage on her shoulder. “Hold tight to her. Love her.” She stepped back with a look of yearning so profound he couldn’t blink. “Don’t let pride stand in your way or you might lose the most important thing in your life.”

  A fog of smoke clouded Brie’s features. Her frame grew opaque as she vanished.

  Through the haze, Ruman saw Henry rise from the floor.

  “Caly, behind you.” Too weak to shift, he stumbled over the rubble on the floor, gritting his teeth as his wounds protested. He would not fail her again.

  * * *

  Ruman’s shout boomed through the room. She twisted sideways, efficiently slicing the throat of the demon in front of her, ready to face the new threat.

  “Bitch.” Henry shuffled forward, a knife in his hand.

  “Henry?” But instead of attacking her, he tracked Felicia like a snake, his neck swiveling with her every move.

  “You used me.”

  Felicia rolled her eyes, almost dismissive of him. “I’m a succubus. It’s what we do.”

  “My friends—”

  Felicia’s laugh echoed in the room like a pack of hyenas, high-pitched and extremely annoying. “You were all too willing to give up your brethren. I didn’t even have to ask. You volunteered them.” She flicked a hand at her skirt, brushing at a bloody stain with a slight frown of distaste on her face.

  “And the murders in the area?” Caly needed to know if there were more than just demons stalking them.

  The blonde shrugged, examining her jagged nails with a satisfied grunt, cleaning out what resembled blood and skin. “They were expendable.”

  “And me?” Henry interrupted.

  A devilish smile came and went, revealing razor-sharp teeth. “You’re dried up. In a few more days, doctors would’ve said you died peacefully in your sleep from old age.”

  “After you sucked the life out of me.”

  “But, of course.” She touched the corner of her mouth with the tip of her tongue like a cat that had enjoyed a tasty meal. Her wild laugh sent shivers skittering along Caly’s spine.

  “You used me to spy on my friends.” Henry clutched the knife and lurched forward.

  “Not true.” She purred and shook her head slowly, never taking her gaze from his. “You volunteered all the information without any prodding on my part.”

  In a reckless charge, Henry dove for the woman he confessed to have loved. She twisted away, knocking the knife out of his grip. Hand around his throat, Felicia hefted Henry off his feet and dangled him out for Caly.

  The once beautiful woman transformed into a reject from The Exorcist as she focused her energy more on fighting. Caly couldn’t help feel that she wanted Henry to see her true self, wanted to hurt him.

  Color leeched from her face, fading to a putrid green. Her skin tightened, the flesh cracked and puss oozed out of the sores. The once luscious lips shriveled like raisins.

  “What should I do with your betrayer? Do you have enough guts to kill him?” She studied him as a shopper would a prospective purchase then turned to Caly. “Or are you as weak as the rest of the humans and willing to forgive?”

  Henry struggled like a fish in a bird’s claw. He fought silently, refusing to plead for his life.

  Caly didn’t have to think twice. “He is an ass, but he’s my ass.”

  Gripping the knife handle tightly, Caly stepped forward. The cold burn of the knife swelled up her arm and roared through her body in answer to her call. The demon within stretched at the lick of power, more than eager to fight. She’d failed to save Oscar, but she could save Henry. “Put him down.”

  Felicia tipped her head, considering the order. “Not just yet. I want the medallion you took from this buffoon.”

  “Why?”

  A t
wisted smile appeared. “The one this idiot stole it from is not very pleased it had disappeared. He’d like it returned.” Eyes narrowed, she surveyed Caly from head to toe. “I intend to be the one to do it. I want that reward.”

  “What reward?” Stalling, Caly shifted a step closer, ready to leap at the smallest opening.

  “Equality. A balanced world where humans and demons have equal footing.”

  “You mean where you rule and subjugate humans?”

  A girlish giggle echoed along the tiles, disturbing coming from the rotted corpse. “But of course. Isn’t it humans who have the quaint little saying of survival of the fittest?”

  “Don’t do it.” Henry’s plea became choked when Felicia’s fingers tightened mercilessly on his neck. “Too strong…even…for you.” Henry’s guttural mutterings filled the air. He stopped fighting and groped for his belt. Before Felicia could react, he swung and drilled a small blade into her chest.

  A shocked gasp filled the room. Felicia’s eyes rounded and her mouth dropped open at Henry’s tenacity.

  Felicia dissolved, crumbling slowly to the ground. The cascade of sand picked up speed until she rested in a pile of dust.

  Henry landed hard and stayed still. Vacant eyes stared up at the ceiling. “Is she dead?” His voice didn’t rise above a whisper.

  Caly hurried forward and knelt down on the shattered tile floor next to the man who had once been her comrade and nemesis. “Yes. You did it.”

  Tears clouded his eyes but didn’t fall. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “Of course not.”

  “Did you mean it?”

  Caly picked up his boney hand and held it tightly as if her hold could keep him alive. His skin was so paper-thin she was afraid her touch would tear the delicate flesh. The cold seeped from him like the touch of death and part of her wept at the loss. “Mean what?”

  “That I’m your ass?”

  A watery chuckle escaped. “Always.”

  “Good.” His eyes slid closed, his face slackened. Henry’s grip grew lax.

  With trembling fingers, Caly leaned over, searching for a pulse.