Decker passed Brody, now wearing shorts and a shirt with the arms and neck cut out. His brother sat on a boulder in lotus position with a bottle of water sitting on the rock next to him. He definitely looked like he was meditating, with the exception of the wink and the quick grin he gave Decker when he passed. Niall waited further up where the Templeton crossed the Baldwin Trail.
In order for their plan to work, Decker had to lure Ciaran closer to Red Rock Crossing. Jade would get him the rest of the way there. At the crossing, many surprises awaited the demon.
Decker hoped like hell their plan worked. He sent a plea to the powers that be to help them all get through this safely.
He stopped when he saw Ciaran come around the bend of the trail. He was quite out of place in a pair of khakis and a white button-down shirt. He was wearing what looked like expensive loafers, probably Italian.
The cowboy photographer was between them, impervious to either of them. He remained focused on photographing Cathedral Rock.
Decker didn’t walk any further. He stopped and waited. He’d let Ciaran come to him.
Ciaran gave the photographer a passing glance as he continued toward Decker. He stopped about fifteen feet from him.
“You’ve come to trade yourself for the girl.” Ciaran spoke in his haughty, cultured tone.
“No.” Decker shook his head. “I’ve come to tell you I don’t want her.”
“Then why did you come here?” Ciaran demanded. A fleeting look of surprise crept into his black eyes. The surprise didn’t last long; it was replaced by that odd, unholy sheen.
“To tell you to leave my lady and my family alone. Or else.”
Ciaran threw back his head and laughed triumphantly. “Or what? You cannot harm me.”
“Or we have no choice but to destroy you. You can live and leave us alone, or you can be reduced to ash,” Decker looked him in the eye as he spoke. When the sheen reappeared in the dark eyes, he looked away. He felt Ciaran’s pull. He could take no chances.
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Ciaran spat. He shook his head. “You speak strong words, but have you realized what an absolute imbecile you are.” He took several steps closer. “I’m going to kill you.” Ciaran removed a knife from his coat. “I intend to carve out your heart and give it as a gift to your lady, right before I make her mine. I will force her, even beat her, if necessary, and I will have her.”
Though his temper flared at Ciaran’s words, Decker remained where he was. He watched as Niall aimed the super-soaker at Ciaran’s back. He saw the stream of water leave the gun. Heard it splat against the demon’s back. He swore he heard a sizzling sound after it hit him.
Ciaran’s whole body jerked. His face twisted in rage as he emitted something between a growl and a howl of pain.
He turned to face his attacker. Decker saw steam or smoke rising off his back. It looked like the salted holy water did do something to him. He saw light pink stains grow on his wet, white shirt. Well, he guessed the mixture had at least made him bleed. That counted for something.
When Niall sprayed his face with the holy water and salt mix, Ciaran shrieked, whether it was in pain or anger, Decker couldn’t tell.
“You!” Ciaran roared before he covered his face with his hands. Decker saw a wisp of that same white steam or smoke waft above his head.
Decker looked at his watch. Twenty seconds.
Ciaran charged at Niall. It appeared the demon hit an invisible wall and fell back onto the trail on his back. He writhed, his white shirt red in some places now. Could it be that the salt burned his skin?
With a loud howl, Ciaran rolled to his feet. Hunched over, he was prepared to spring at Decker when Jade’s voice rang out on the trail somewhere behind them.
“Decker! Where are you? You promised me you wouldn’t come alone. I know you’re here. Decker!”
“Babe, get back. Go home, it’s too dangerous, he’s here,” Decker called out, trying to sound frantic.
Ciaran smiled in triumph. He leaped high in the air and sailed over Decker and Niall.
Niall reached Decker. They caught up to Brody who was already chasing Ciaran. The man ran faster than any human being possibly could. The three of them followed him.
“Perfect, ladies!” Liam gave them a thumbs up as Jade and Harper walked out of thin air onto the red rock beside him. Neave appeared seconds later. She had flown them to the trail after cloaking them all. Jade called out to Decker then seconds after that, Neave brought them back to join Liam on the rock.
Liam helped Harper and Jade get into position on the flat, red rock jutting up in the midst of Oak Creek. He placed Jade behind him. “Stay here, sweetie. Decker will be here in a few then you two can do your thing.”
Jade took a deep breath. They had guessed Ciaran would have Lauren with him. If so, Decker and Jade would fly in and get her away from Ciaran while the others did their thing. That was part of plan A, but they had no way of knowing for sure what would take place today. That’s why they had plan B, C & an emergency get the hell out plan.
Harper moved forward to stand next to Liam and lifted her giant super-soaker full of Dead Sea salt mixed with holy water. Behind them, Aunt Neave stood, poised and ready alongside her catapult loaded with salt. She’d insisted on using it, and why not, Liam thought. It just might work. From the sound of it, the super soakers filled with the holy water and salt mixture had done something to Ciaran. He heard bellowing earlier, and hoped it was the demon.
Erin and Fianna were upstream a little ways, waiting for the signal to do their part for the next phase.
Ciaran growled in rage when he appeared at the edge of Oak Creek.
“Come to me now!” He shouted to Jade.
“Absolutely not.” She shook her head.
“I’ll let your man live if you come to me. I have him and he’s trussed up like a pig.”
Surely he was lying. Fear brought in doubts. Jade looked to Liam.
“Decker’s fine,” he assured her. “It’s a lie.” Liam aimed his super soaker.
“I killed the other one,” Ciaran boasted. “I will kill these people too, unless you give yourself to me.”
“He’s lying Jade. I’m here,” Decker shouted from somewhere on the trail behind Ciaran.
The demon emitted a deafening roar and paced like a caged animal along the bank. He began to try to jump from rock to rock to get to them. He slipped once and howled when his leg sunk into the water up to his knee.
“Dude does not like the water.” Harper let go a wicked laugh.
“It looks like the water actually hurts him,” Liam said, a devious grin lighting his face. “At least this vortex enhanced water does.”
“It does. He sure doesn’t want to get wet,” Jade agreed.
Ciaran watched the water swirling around the rocks below him. A loud, eerie growl emanated from his chest, as he looked around, snarling like a wild beast. He certainly wasn’t reacting like a human. It appeared he was now feeling the loving, compassionate energy of the vortex surrounding him. That energy had been intensified ten-fold in the water thanks to the magic of Erin and Fianna upstream.
He jumped to another rock, and that brought him close enough. Liam and Harper looked at one another.
“You ready?”
Harper gave Liam an affirmative nod. “Hell yes. On three! One. Two. Three.”
Liam and Harper pounded him with what they now called Blessed Salt water.
Ciaran went down on one knee on the rock. His fingers gripped the large boulder tightly. His roar was beastly and almost deafening. He shook like a wet animal. His eyes were fathomless black with a dull, greenish gleam. A spark of red appeared in his eyes and grew until they gleamed red. Then the red disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
“Look the stone in his ring is almost black. It looks like we’ve weakened him some. Let’s do it again!” Harper suggested with a whoop of triumph.
“You got it, sister! Enjoying yourself, are y
ou, Harp?” Liam gave a wicked chuckle and joined her in covering the bastard in water once again. He set down his empty gun and picked up another. He let go a long stream of spray, taking a few steps closer and to the side to be sure he covered every inch of Ciaran with the spray.
“We ought to make demon-hunting a new sport!” Harper continued to soak Ciaran with a steady stream. That brought him to his feet. Liam followed with a burst of blessed salt water that unsteadied him.
“I think we have!” Liam grinned.
Decker, Brody and Niall reached the bank. They raised their water weapons.
“On three! One. Two. Three,” Liam shouted across the rushing creek.
Again, something grayish, they couldn’t tell if it was smoke or steam, rose off Ciaran as the blessed salt-water combo hit him from the front and back. He howled, growled, and roared like a raging beast. His arms flailed, He slipped on the rock several times.
“Stand aside, my lambs,” Aunt Neave instructed with her voice as calm and pleasant as if she was inviting them to tea. “I believe he is wet enough.”
Liam and Harper grinned at one another as they stepped aside. Liam had to pull Jade back with him. She hadn’t taken her eyes off Decker.
“Where’s the girl, you know, Lauren? Where’s Lauren?” Jade asked Liam. “There’s something wrong. Ciaran is just waiting. He should be running or flying away if we are weakening him that much.”
He nodded his head. “You’re right, sweetie, there’s something up.” He looked to Ciaran. That’s when he saw the stone in his ring glow bright orange.
“Fire!” Aunt Neave called as she unleashed the catapult loaded with salt from the Dead Sea.
Liam quickly pulled Jade closer to him to make sure she was out of the line of fire.
Dead Sea salt pellets stuck to the wet Ciaran. He roared as he began to fall backwards into the creek. Black smoke rose up from his body as he fell. Just before he hit the water, he reached upward and flew high above them, disappearing after a few seconds.
“Is he gone? Has he left?” Harper asked, and then looked around wildly, searching for any sign of him.
“I don’t know,” Liam spoke as he searched for the demon.
Decker, Brody and Niall were in the process of making their way across the creek toward the big rock where the others waited.
When they stepped onto the long, wide rock, a voice came from across the creek.
“Michael! Michael! I knew you’d come for me. I knew you loved me!” Lauren made it to the Creek edge. “Michael, I’m here. You’ve saved me.” She waved her arms wildly. “See? I’m here.”
Brody snorted.
Decker turned to Lauren. He held up his hand. “Just stay there, Lauren. We need to make sure it’s safe.”
“All right honey. Whatever you say.” Lauren beamed. “I’m so relieved. I was so frightened. I thought I would die.”
“Be quiet,” Decker commanded. He turned and proceeded to ignore her. Something Brody said under his breath made him laugh.
Liam saw a shadow pass over him and caught a blur of movement from the corner of his eye. “Damn it! Jade, get over here,” he hollered as he saw a blurred hand reaching for her arm. Liam reached out, fisted his hand in her tee, and pulled her closer to him.
Decker started to run toward the back of the rock where Jade and Liam were. He wasn’t sure what Liam had seen, or why he was suddenly concerned for Jade’s safety. He heard what sounded like the flap of wings and realized a dark blur blocked out the sun above him.
It felt like he was hit by a ton of bricks. The wind was knocked out of him. He knew his feet left the Mother rock. Cold hands gripped his arms. Decker struggled to remain conscious. He felt something cold rest against his throat. He felt odd, dense energy behind him. It was so strong it pulsated, making it hard for him to concentrate or clear his aching head. There was no warmth coming from the body holding him, there was only cold, bitter cold. He realized he was standing on another flat rock not too far from the big, Mother rock. He took a deep breath and struggled to calm his mind. He stilled his thoughts, trying desperately to connect with the vortex energy. He tried to block out the dense, negative vibrations radiating off the man behind him and concentrate on the energy of the Mother Rock. It began to work. Slowly, second by second, he was more able to focus on the steady pulse of strong, vortex energy.
“He has Decker! Liam, he got Decker.” Jade panicked and started to move forward, but Liam slid his arm around her waist and pulled her back. “Stay behind me. We’ll get him back.” He turned to her. He wanted to make it perfectly clear. “Jade, the last thing we, or Decker, need is for him to get you too. You have to stay here, with me.”
Ciaran’s ring glowed bright, hot orange as he glared at Liam.
“Jade Murphy.” Ciaran shouted across the creek. “Can I interest you in a little trade? Your life for his. Say no, and I’ll slit his throat and don’t think I won’t. It would give me eternal life to do so, and I would enjoy it so very much.”
Jade peered from behind Liam and looked to Decker. He shook his head.
She looked to Liam.
“He’s bluffing. Stay where you are,” Liam whispered to her. “Erin and Fianna are doing their thing upstream. It shouldn’t take long. A few more seconds at the most.” Liam turned his head to see Erin give him the OK sign as she and Fianna began to make their way across the rocks where they had been standing midstream for the initiation of the spell.
Lauren chose that moment to attempt to cross the rocks to get to the Mother rock.
“Michael! Michael! Oh, my God, Michael! Someone help him. Call 911. He saved my life! What kind of a woman are you, you bimbo! You can’t just let him die! Trade yourself for him. If you truly loved him, like I do, you would.”
“Shut the hell up, Lauren! You need to stay on the bank.” Brody turned to her. He waved his hands back toward the creek bank. The one thing they did not need was the psycho idiot in the mix.
“Oh?” Looking surprised, she teetered on the rock she stood on. “I don’t want to stay over there all by myself. I’ve been through a horrible ordeal. I was kidnapped, frightened out of my wits by that…that monster!” She pointed a finger at Ciaran and nearly lost her balance.
“Stay. There,” Brody commanded.
“No. It’s too dangerous for me to be alone,” she defied him as she jumped to another rock. “I’m sure Michael would not approve.”
Niall and Brody moved forward on the large flat vortex rock to get closer to Decker. They lifted two of their spare super-soakers to aim them at Ciaran, even though he was probably too far away for them to reach.
Lauren splashed her way to the big rock. She hurried toward their group.
Brody turned to glare at her as she walked past him.
“I’m not going to stand over there all by myself when there is a madman about,” she snapped at him.
“Go all the way to the back, sit down, and shut up.” Brody shook his head in frustration. “And don’t touch anything.”
Lauren walked slowly toward the others at the back of the rock. When she came alongside Jade, who was near Liam, she suddenly reached out, grabbed Jade’s arm, and pushed her into the creek.
“There’s your bimbo, now give me Michael, Ken.”
Jade stood up, dripping water as she did.
“I’m afraid you are going to be disappointed, Lauren,” Ciaran said with a wicked chuckle. “You are easily manipulated. Give you cocaine, martinis, bloody Mary’s, and some sex, tell you what you want to hear…and you behave like a trained dog. I am going to kill your Michael. That was the whole point of all this.”
Liam bent to help Jade out of the water.
“Michael was my fiancé. We had a little misunderstanding, but we will marry. Remove that knife from his neck, Ken! I’m serious. I told you I have a lot of money and I can have you arrested,” Lauren persisted.
“I think not.” Ciaran dismissed her with an amused laugh.
Decker knew how Laur
en’s psycho mind worked. He could use that.
“Lauren, Ken used you. He lied to you. He never intended to let me live. He knew Jade is my girlfriend and was using you so that you would bring her to him. He was never going to help you get me back, don’t you see?” Decker spoke. “I’m sure he planned to kill you when he had no more use for you. He made you look like a fool.”
“You dirty, rotten, prick!” Lauren shook her fist at the demon. “I just knew there was something very odd about you, Ken. That you couldn’t be trusted. What are you, some kind of psycho?”
Ciaran laughed. “The word psycho would more aptly describe you, my dear!”
Lauren screamed in rage. She flew at Jade. No one could move quite fast enough to intercept her.
Lauren removed what appeared to be an athame from the bag hanging on her shoulder and lifted it to Jade’s throat. “I picked up your funny knife before we left your place, Ken. Just in case. I had a feeling something like this might happen. You just can’t trust anyone anymore. There are some real nutjobs in the world.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lauren continued, “So what’s it going to be, Ken? A dead bimbo or do we trade her for my fiancé. That was our deal, you take the blonde, and I get Michael. You can kill her. I don’t care what happens to her. Don’t you dare hurt Michael.”
“Aww, Lauren.” He clucked his tongue. “Very well, we’ll trade.” Ciaran’s ring glowed bright orange then faded to black once more. “Come closer. Look at me, Lauren. Look into my eyes. Bring me the girl.”
“Don’t look into his eyes. He hypnotizes people that way,” Jade warned Lauren.
“What?” Lauren looked confused. She turned a furious look on Jade as she screamed, “Shut up!”
Decker swore. He’d made things worse. Damn it. Damn it!
“Her name is Jade, Lauren. She is my girlfriend, and I care about her. But let’s talk about you right now. You’re in a lot of trouble. You faked a kidnapping. You aided this guy. You admitted that you assisted him, in front of all of us. He’s murdered people, Lauren, many people. He wants to kill me. You could go to prison for a long, long time. You will be arrested as his accomplice after the things you just admitted to,” Decker spoke in a kind, gentle tone. “Look at all of the witnesses here who can testify against you. Your father won’t bail you out of this. I think he’s had enough. I think you know that.” It had worked. Lauren was looking at him now, and not Ciaran.
Decker's Fate (The Decker Brothers Trilogy Book 1) Page 39
