A Demon in Dallas

by Amy Armstrong

  He obviously knew something about Barbatos and the book and I had to find out what if I wanted to save Matt. Thirty minutes after the call, I pulled over on the side of the dirt road that led to Charles’ property, cut the engine and switched off the lights.

  “How do you want to play this?” I asked Connor, scanning the area around us. The road was quiet and there were no outward signs of life in the surrounding woods, but I was sure that Charles already knew we’d arrived. A strong alpha rarely did anything without the support of their pack. I might not be able to see any wolves, but I could sense they were near. So could Connor. He’d become even more twitchy since I’d parked and a low growl rumbled in his throat as he searched the tree line up ahead.

  “You see anything?”

  “No, nothing yet,” he replied, his voice dangerously low. “But I think we’re being watched. I can feel their presence. They’re all around us.”

  I nodded. “Are they all wolves? Any vamps here?”

  “I can’t be sure.” Connor turned to me and frowned. His incisors had shrunk into his gums and his eyes had returned to their human form, indicating that he had some control of his wolf side again—at least temporarily. “We don’t have to do this, Raven. There’ll be other ways to find Matt.”

  I shook my head. “We don’t have the time. This is our best chance to find the demon. We might not get an opportunity like this again.”

  Connor stared at me for the longest time before his expression cleared. “Fine. I don’t have to tell you to be careful. I’ll watch your back as best I can, but you already know we’re going to be outnumbered, probably by ten to one.”

  In an effort to hide my nerves, I made light of the situation. I plastered a fake smile on my face and quipped, “My kind of odds.”

  Connor’s lips twitched before a crooked grin spread across his face. The smile made it all the way to his eyes and my breath caught at the sight of it. The expression reminded me of how he used to look at me before I had gone and spoilt everything. It was warm and easy, completely carefree. Time continued to amble on as we stared at one another. I had the sudden urge to lean across the seats and kiss Connor, to run my hands all over him—to feel his strong muscles contract under my fingertips.

  When his chest rumbled and his eyes filled with heat, I cleared my throat and forced myself to face forward before I gave in to my desire.

  “Let’s do this,” I managed to choke out.

  I grabbed the door handle, but Connor moved quickly and before I could get it open, he’d tugged my hand away and held it in his.

  “Look at me, Raven.”

  I shook my head firmly. “Can’t.”

  With a long, drawn out sigh, Connor put his hands on either side of my face and tilted my chin so that we were again face to face. I closed my eyes. Connor chuckled, a low gravelly sound that sent shivers through my entire being.

  “Look at me, Raven,” he repeated.

  I groaned and shook my head. Connor’s thumb ghosted over my bottom lip. He whispered, “Look at me.”

  My eyes opened as if of their own accord and I gasped when I saw the intensity in Connor’s eyes shining back at me. He inched closer until his lips brushed against mine.

  “I missed you,” he breathed.

  Those three little words were what I’d wanted to hear most. When his tongue snaked out and followed the same path his thumb had taken, I lost my earlier restraint. I wanted this, I wanted Connor. So damn much. I placed my hands on his chest then slid them over his shoulders, pressing my mouth harder against his, the kiss becoming insistent, frenzied. Connor leaned into me and slipped his tongue into my mouth, swallowing down my moan. He deepened the kiss and I squirmed in my seat, wanting to get closer, needing more. Just as I fisted my fingers in his hair, an odd, whirring sound outside the car brought me crashing back to the present. Connor and I pulled apart and turned to look out of the front window just as a huge, undoubtedly heavy body came sailing through the air and landed on the hood of my car with a loud thud. I stared incredulously.

  Alpha Charles Moore’s wide, lifeless eyes stared back at me.

  Chapter Seven

  Connor was out of the car before I’d had time to blink. “Stay here,” he instructed, leaning back inside to meet my gaze.

  I glared at him. “The hell I will!”

  Before he could argue, I’d turned and was rifling through my bag on the back seat. I pulled out one of my silver-tipped stakes and got out of the car. Connor was stood to the side, his head tipped back, scenting the air. I went to check on Charles, even though I knew he was already dead. Turning him until he was lying on his back, I scanned his body. There was a lot of blood on his chest and a large, gaping wound right over his heart.

  “Looks like he was staked,” I said, shaking my head. “Who the hell did this?”

  “I don’t know. There are dozens of wolves in the trees, all pack.”

  “You think this was some sort of challenge for leadership?”

  “No, can’t be. A challenge would take place in wolf form and any wolf would go for the throat. It’s the quickest and easiest kill.”

  “Then what the h—” I snapped my mouth shut when a lone figure stepped out of the tree line about twenty feet in front of us. It was too dark for me to make out any of the stranger’s features.

  Connor began to growl.

  “Who is it?” I asked, squinting into the still dark night.

  The volume of Connor’s growls increased as the figure began to walk in our direction. “Get in the car, Raven,” he instructed.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and stood my ground. Connor might be worried about me, but he knew me well enough to know that I could take care of myself. He should also know I hated people telling me what to do. He sighed in resignation when I didn’t move. As the man neared, he held out his arms as though to show us he wasn’t carrying any weapons. The gesture was obviously supposed to reassure, but I’d learned a long time ago to never take anything at face value. I clutched my stake tighter in my hand.

  The man stopped abruptly just five feet away from us. I didn’t recognise him and a quick glance at the expression on Connor’s face told me that he didn’t know who the man was either. The seconds ticked on as we stared at one another, each sizing up our opponent.

  The man was incredibly tall, more so than Connor, and he had a large, muscular frame. He exuded strength and power.

  “Good evening,” he said politely, finally breaking the silence. “Or should that be good morning?”

  I snorted. “Either way, that’s pretty damn civil of you considering you just threw a dead alpha onto our hood.”

  He shrugged. “I wanted to get your attention.”

  “And it didn’t occur to you to just say hello?”

  He let out a low chuckle and inclined his head. “I like you.”

  Connor growled again. I rolled my eyes and slapped his chest with the back of my hand. “Can it, Connor.” Turning back to the stranger, I asked, “Would you care to enlighten us as to why you felt the need to get our attention? Oh, and while you’re at it, you can tell us why Alpha Moore is in his present condition?”

  “What business did you have with Charles tonight?” he countered.

  I shook my head. “Nuh-uh, I asked first.”

  “Oh, for Christ-sake, this is getting us nowhere,” Connor fumed. “How about you tell us who you are and why you killed Charles or I’ll kill you.”

  The man raised an amused eyebrow. “Your boyfriend hasn’t developed the art of polite conversation, has he?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I said rather too quickly. Connor growled again. It was becoming annoying.

  “Really?” the man grinned at me salaciously. “That’s good to know.”

  “Can I just kill him and get it over with?” Connor pleaded.

  I had to admit that I shared Connor’s frustration. He was right, this was getting us nowhere. The man might be prepared to talk to us if we were to give him som
ething first.

  “We came to ask for Alpha Moore’s help in locating a demon,” I admitted. “I don’t suppose that’s something you can help us with.”

  “And what demon would that be?” he asked cautiously, his gaze flicking from Connor to me.

  “Barbatos.”

  His black eyes narrowed. “How interesting. Barbatos was the cause of Charles’ untimely end.” He cast a quick glance to the trees beside us then took a step closer. “You have ten seconds to tell me what you want with the demon before you both meet with the same fate.”

  There was too much to relate in such a short time and I had no doubt this man could make good on his promise. He appeared to have the entire pack at his disposal. The woods around us were teeming with wolves and they were closing in so I said simply, “I want to kill him.”

  The wolf stared at us for another moment before closing the distance. Connor growled out a warning and tried to stand in front of me, but I elbowed him aside. The wolf chuckled. Ignoring Connor, he thrust out his hand.

  “I’m Oliver Phelps, the new alpha wolf here in Dallas. I think you and I need to have a little chat.”

  Throwing his head back, he howled at the moon. The sound caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand to attention. When I turned to Connor, he too was rubbing his neck and shifting awkwardly from foot to foot—the wolf in him wanting to answer the call.

  One by one, the wolves that had been hiding in the woods emerged. Well over a dozen showed themselves, but I could tell there were more that were still hanging back.

  “Shall we?” Oliver asked, holding out his arm.

  This time, Connor succeeded in pushing me behind him. The move caught me off guard and I was too shocked to protest.

  “Let’s get one thing straight before we go anywhere with you,” Connor bit out. “I’m alpha of the Austin pack and this is my mate. She’s off limits, understand?”

  My breath left me in a whoosh. Had Connor really just said that? Mate? Oliver nodded his acquiescence, but his smile was wry, indulgent.

  “Whatever you say, Alpha.”

  When Connor turned and met my gaze, there was no trace of humour in his smile. “Guess I should have maybe told you that first, huh?”

  I nodded numbly. “No kidding.”

  * * * *

  Alpha Phelps paced restlessly around the large den inside Charles’ ranch. The three of us were alone in the room, but Oliver wasn’t taking any chances. There were at least two wolves posted on guard duty outside the door and probably triple that amount just outside the house. My head was still spinning from Connor’s revelation, although I hadn’t had the time to process the information since we’d ploughed straight into our story as soon as we’d entered the den.

  “Why would an angel ask you to locate a demon?” Oliver asked, his eyebrows raised in query. “They don’t usually involve any other supes in their battles. Angels are incredibly secretive.”

  “You haven’t met Malaki. He’ll do just about anything to get what he wants—including blackmail.”

  With an affected chuckle, Oliver said, “Show me an angel that isn’t conniving. He say why he wants this demon?”

  “A book.” I waited a beat to gauge Oliver’s reaction, but he didn’t give any indication that he knew what I was talking about so I continued, “I don’t know any more than that. I’m just supposed to call Malaki when I’ve found it. He said he’ll tell me then where Matt is being held.”

  “And when he has the book?”

  I shrugged. “I imagine Malaki will vanquish Barbatos.”

  Oliver’s brow lifted slightly upon hearing about the demon’s name again. Connor must have noticed it too because he leant forward in his seat and cleared his throat.

  “What do you know about the demon? And the book? What’s so special about it?”

  Crossing the room, Oliver took a seat at the other end of the table. He clasped his hands in front of him and gazed at each of us in turn. “It’s the book and it’s the reason I killed Charles.”

  Frowning, I turned to see how Connor had taken the news. He looked about as confused as me. “The book?”

  “The Book of Honorius.” His mouth lifted at the corner when he took in our blank expressions and he elaborated, “The Book of Honorius is a grimoire, an ancient text. It’s purported to contain spells used in necromancy.”

  Connor frowned. “I thought the grimoire was a myth.”

  “Not exactly. There are many grimoires,” Oliver explained. “But the Book of Honorius is supposedly the oldest. From what I’ve been able to find out, the book contains information on how to raise demons and, more importantly, how to raise Lucifer himself, who as you know remains trapped in the underworld. I don’t have to tell you what damage a book like that could do, particularly in the hands of a demon.”

  I tried to process the information, but it didn’t add up. “I don’t get it. If the book is so important and the angels are so keen to get it back, why would they ask me to find it? I’m just a slayer. I don’t have anywhere near the power that the angels possess. Why aren’t Malaki and the rest of the angels out looking for it and this demon themselves?”

  “I imagine they are,” Connor said thoughtfully. “Malaki’s probably just covering all bases.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to have a hunter on his team,” Oliver added.

  Connor nodded in agreement. “You do have connections to most of the packs around here, Raven.”

  I turned to Connor and sighed, finally allowing myself to voice something I’d suspected, but didn’t want to believe. “It was Malaki that had Matt kidnapped by the vampires all along, wasn’t it? So that I’d help him.”

  “I’d say that’s the most likely scenario,” Connor replied evenly. “It was certainly the best way he could guarantee your help.”

  I couldn’t believe I’d allowed myself to fall for that damn angel’s conniving scheme. Oliver had been watching the exchange between us silently. So far, he’d got a hell of a lot of information out of us, but we’d received little in return. He’d been friendly since we arrived, overly so, but I still didn’t trust him.

  “Why did you kill Charles?” I asked. “He never struck me as the type of man that would willingly join forces with a demon.”

  “I thought the same thing,” Oliver replied regretfully. “I trusted Charles. He’d been like a father to me over the years and I was happy to call him my alpha, but in the last couple of months things started to change.”

  “How so?”

  “The first time I realised he wasn’t acting like himself was when I discovered there was a demon roaming free in our territory. I challenged him about it, naturally, several times in fact, and the answers he gave were less than satisfactory.

  “At first Charles told me he’d kill the demon or at least run him out of Dallas. Weeks later, Barbatos was still hanging around and I knew I needed to take matters into my own hands. I confronted Charles and told him I’d kill Barbatos myself, but he ordered me to leave the demon alone. He said Barbatos could ‘prove useful’. Of course, at the time I knew nothing about the book and couldn’t understand Charles’ reasoning. He wouldn’t explain what he wanted from the demon or how he believed he could be useful to the pack.”

  Connor cut a quick glance in my direction and I could tell he didn’t believe Oliver’s story any more than I did, even though he hid it under a very convincing mask of open curiosity.

  “So what did you do then?” he asked.

  “I called a pack meeting. I hoped some of the older members of the pack would be able to talk some sense into Charles, but he refused to discuss the matter. He said he was acting in our best interests and we needed to trust him.”

  “How did you come to find out about the book?” I probed.

  Oliver sighed. “Purely by chance. I’m sure Charles would never have mentioned the book if I hadn’t learned of it myself. A couple of days ago, I got together with the pack to discuss if we should try to overthrow Charles, challen
ge his status as alpha. We all agreed that it would be in the best interest of the pack.

  “I never would have considered doing something like that before. I’ve never had any desire to lead, but I didn’t believe that Charles was thinking clearly. How could he be when he was happy for demons to roam freely around our city? One of the pack members that came to the meeting had heard something, some gossip about the demon and what he was doing here in Dallas.”

  Connor’s expression gave nothing away. “What had he heard?”

  “That Barbatos had stolen a book from one of the witches in the local coven, an important book, and not only was the witch’s coven trying to locate it, but the angels wanted it back too. Rumours in the supernatural circles suggested that there were a lot of interested parties in this book—vampires, Fae, everybody would like to get their hands on it. And that made me think. Maybe Charles wanted the book too. Maybe that’s why he was happy for Barbatos to hang around the city, because Charles believed he could get his own grubby hands on the book.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Charles,” I observed. “Did you question him about it?”

  “Yes. Just tonight in fact. Charles and I always ran together on full moon. When I met him earlier, I told him I wanted to talk to him before we went out. I told him I knew that Barbatos had stolen the book and I believed that he wanted it and that was the reason he’d allowed the demon to stay in the city.”

  “How did he respond?”

  “He admitted everything. What else could he say? Charles told me what he’d learned about the book. He said he believed that we could make a lot of money from it. The witches wanted it back. The Fae would love to get their hands on it, and the angels would do just about anything to keep it away from the demons. Charles said we could offer the book to the highest bidder.”