Shadow Demon

by Judith Post

  The man lowered the rod to aim it at them. Reece and Hecate mumbled a chant at the same time. A bubble of protection surrounded the SUV before a white, hot ball of energy blasted toward them. The next chant—a reflection spell—sent it back toward its originator.

  The wizard waved it away and raised his eyebrows in surprise. An amused sneer quirked his sensuous lips. He pointed toward Hecate. “I’ve come for you, my beautiful witch, but first, you have to suffer. You disobeyed me, and you have to pay a price. One life for each year you’ve evaded me. Be ready.” He walked to a sleek, black car, got in, and drove away.

  Hecate looked numb, shellshocked. No point in asking her questions now. Reece’s hands shook as she pulled into her usual spot in the garage and turned off the car engine. Andre kept a protective hand under Hecate’s elbow as they hurried to the elevator.

  Once inside her condo, Reece dumped her jacket on the red leather sofa and turned to her friend. “What the hell was that about?”

  Andre locked eyes with her. “Watch your tone. She’s shaken enough.”

  “We could have been killed!”

  Hecate shook her head, snapping out of her mental fog. “Nen was only playing with us. He doesn’t want you dead yet.”

  “Yet?” Andre’s dark brow rose. “But he does want us dead?”

  “I’ve been kidding myself. How many wizards are powerful enough to summon demons? It had to be Nen, but I couldn’t believe he found me after all these years, that he’d still be looking.”

  Damian studied her white face, her bleak expression. Voice gentle, he said, “I take it you have history.”

  Hecate hugged herself. “Nen summoned the fire demon to destroy anyone who got between him and me.”

  Andre frowned, confused. “Because he hates you? He wants to kill you himself?”

  A flush colored Hecate’s cheeks. “No, because he wants me, and he intends to take me.”

  “Wants you?” Damian took a deep breath. “As in lust?”

  “Obsession.” Hecate rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself. Her entire body trembled. “I knew Nen when he was young. He has magic on both sides of his families, as all warlocks must. I helped his mother tutor him. Somewhere, somehow, I became less of an aunt to him, and more of a desire.”

  “I understand how that could happen.” Andre had taken one look at the witch and become besotted.

  Reece reached for her gargoyle. Damian had met both her and Hecate and had fallen in love with her—with her temper, prickliness, and stubborn streak. Go figure.

  Reece gnawed on her bottom lip, a childhood habit she’d tried to break. “Why didn’t Nen take you when he caught us by surprise? Why give us time to think of a way to defeat him?”

  Hecate's laugh was bitter. “Because he doesn’t think we have a chance in hell. You heard him. He wants to punish me first. Nen loves to punish.”

  “He sounds like a pervert.” A scary nut case. Reece tightened her grip on Damian.

  “A cruel pervert.” Hecate walked to the French doors that led to the balcony. She pressed her hand to her mouth, fighting for composure.

  Damian, as usual, turned to practical matters. “If Nen’s younger than you and Luna, why is he more powerful?”

  Hecate whispered the answer. “Black magic.”

  Not enough information. Damian liked to keep his facts straight. “What turned him? His mother loved him. So did you.”

  “He was always drawn to it, even as a child."

  “He was born evil? What happened to your friend?”

  Hecate leaned her hip against the doorway. “Nen’s father was a warlock, but he was more interested in gods than magic. Tem's mother was a witch. Nen killed them to gain their powers, hoping he’d become strong enough to kill Banafrit next.”

  "His own mother?" Damian asked.

  Hecate nodded.

  “Nen? Banafrit?” Andre frowned. “What kind of names are those?”

  “Egyptian.”

  “He killed his father and his grandmother?” Reece shivered. Her mind went to Friday nights with her dad when she was a little girl, watching old, black and white horror movies on late night TV, like Curse of the Mummy and The Mummy’s Revenge. Anubis, alligator gods, and ancient tombs still sent tremors through her.

  Andre gripped Hecate’s shoulder. “What did Banafrit do?"

  "She ran."

  "Then you’re leaving Bay City, too. You’ll get on a plane with Jenny and Joseph. We’ll send you to different places, but you’re not staying here.”

  Hecate rubbed a hand across her forehead. “He’ll kill you if I run.”

  “Why? What good would that do?”

  “It would hurt me, and he knows it.”

  Damian shrugged. “I’d say he plans on killing us if you stay.”

  Andre didn’t give up. “So keep running, like you did last time. We’ll hide. Maybe you’ll get lucky and someone will destroy him before he can find you again.”

  “No.” Hecate pushed her hip off the door and squared her shoulders. “If I run, he’ll destroy this entire city, just because he’s angry. He’ll set the demon loose and he’ll blast Bay City with magic. Then he’ll come after me. If he finds me, I won’t have a chance. He’ll tie me to a bed and try to change me to dark magic. I’d rather die. And I’d rather fight.”

  For a minute, no one said anything. Finally, Damian went to stand beside her at the French doors. “So we’re all better off if you stay, even you. Is there someone who can help us? You keep saying we can’t beat Nen alone.”

  “He’s cut us off.”

  “Then we’ll think of something. We’ll work together.”

  His words didn’t inspire anyone. The odds didn’t look good. But he’d do anything he could to face the challenge. Reece admired that about him.

  Andre glanced at the clock. “Mon Dieu! I have to get to the restaurant.”

  Reece was grateful for the return to normal. Everyone else seemed to feel the same way.

  Hecate stood to leave too.

  “No, you’re staying,” Damian told her. “If Nen’s looking for you, you’re not going to be alone.”

  She hesitated. “We used Reece’s loft the last time for our headquarters. She deserves some peace and….”

  Reece cut her off. “You’re staying. If you want to go to your shop during the day, I’ll go with you. But you’re never going to be on your own until we know you’ll be safe.”

  Andre’s shoulders relaxed. He’d been worried, Reece could tell. “Thank you. I’ll be back in the morning. I’ll take her anywhere she wants to go.”

  Hecate’s gaze met his. “I’ll sleep on Reece’s red sofa. It will make me think of you.”

  He laughed. “That’s only because Reece wouldn’t share her bed with me.” He didn't want to leave, Reece could tell. But finally he said, “Stay safe,” and hurried out the door.

  The stress had taken its toll on Hecate. She pulled the throw blanket off the back of the couch and closed her eyes. Damian brought her a pillow, but she couldn't sleep. Reece sat with her, and Hecate talked about her friend Banafrit until she drifted to sleep.

  Reece went for her leather jacket. “Good thing she fell asleep. I got tickets to Florida, have to get my family to the airport to see them off.”

  “You shouldn’t be alone.” Damian looked from her to Hecate. He couldn't protect both of them.

  “I’ll spray myself with the potion. I'll douse the SUV. My mom’s place is protected. If Nen or a demon comes for us at the airport, we’re all in trouble.”

  He didn’t look happy, but he nodded. She didn’t wait. She called her mom on her way to the elevator. “Grab your suitcases. I’m on my way.”

  Chapter 5

  Joseph was waiting for her at the door, a duffel bag at his feet. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. “Are you going to be okay?”

  There was no bullshitting her eight-year-old brother. He could be formidable. “I’m going to do my best.”

 
; Not good enough. His scowl deepened. “What are you fighting? More rogues?”

  She wouldn’t lie to him. He deserved better. “No.”

  “Then what?”

  “A warlock. A strong one.” A partial truth, but enough to satisfy him. “He takes power from new witches. You and Jenny look like hors d’oeuvres to him.”

  “And you?”

  Their mother and Jenny came down the stairs, carrying suitcases. Her mom's eyebrow rose. "Well? Answer the boy."

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “I don’t like this new witch stuff,” her mom said. “Give it up. Come with us. Start over someplace else.”

  Warmth spread through Reece. It had been a long time since her mother worried about her, not until her witch’s powers awakened. “Would you leave Bay City? Stay with me?”

  “We’d get you settled, but I couldn’t leave Eugene.”

  Reece shrugged. She wouldn't leave Joseph and Jenny on their own with Eugene. Her mom wouldn't let him hit Jenny anymore, but verbal abuse wasn't much better. She wasn't going to say that, though. “It’s not like the witch stuff will go away. Other witches sense it. I might as well deal with it here.”

  “Will other witches sense theirs?” Her mom motioned to Jenny and Joseph.

  “Theirs isn’t developed. They have Hecate and me. They’ll be okay.”

  Her mother hesitated, saw the obstinate set of her jaw, and shook her head. “Just like your father. A bullhead.”

  “But a nice one.” Reece started for the door, and Jenny reached for her hand. Reece took it. “Are you okay?”

  “Will I have to fight all the time like you do?”

  Reece stared at her little sister. Blond, with blue eyes, she looked like an advertisement for childhood innocence, but Jenny had been through some tough times. “No, you have a different gift. You see things before they happen. You have wisdom I don’t have.”

  Jenny nodded. “I saw us flying in an airplane, but I didn’t see why.”

  “Someday, you’ll see more. For now, you see enough.”

  The moonstone crescent that Jenny wore glowed and she gripped Reece’s hand tighter. “Ask the priest for holy water.”

  “Holy water?”

  “You can carry it in glass vials.” Jenny blinked. She’d never used that word before. It surprised her.

  Reece took her sister’s warning seriously. “I will. I promise.”

  “As soon as you get home.”

  “Sooner.”

  Jenny nodded, and Reece led them to her car. She waited at the airport and wouldn’t leave until their airplane left the ground. Then she drove to the gargoyles’ church. When she walked through its back door, the old priest was waiting for her.

  “What good luck. I talked to my friends, and they told me you’re fighting a demon.”

  Reece nodded, not sure what he might make of that. Father Daniel was unlike any priest or minister she’d ever met. He seemed so wise, he felt almost otherworldly to her.

  “The Catholic church believes in evil. We do our best to fight it. We’re the only church that performs exorcisms.”

  His voice was so mild, Reece blinked in amazement. The old man had a way of catching her off guard. Did anything surprise him? His white, fine hair framed his wrinkled face like dandelion fuzz. His body was aged and stooped. Yet he talked about demons with a nonchalance that she didn’t feel.

  She wanted him to know the worst. “This demon might be a bit different from the usual.”

  The old priest nodded. “He doesn’t want to be here. Someone made him come. Remember that and be kind to him. This might help.” He handed her a dozen vials of holy water. “If good can defeat evil, this might defend you.”

  She smiled. “My sister told me to visit you, to ask you for holy water.”

  The old man smiled. “A wise child.”

  “So is my brother, Joseph. Thank you. I’ll make sure everyone gets one.”

  “If you need more, I can say more blessings and prayers.” The old man turned bright, blue eyes on her, full of intelligence and curiosity. The priest was a unique and wonderful find. “Stay safe,” he told her.

  “We’re trying.”

  His smile was gentle. “You tried to protect me with the spray. I hope I can protect you with the water.”

  “We need all the help we can get.” She carried the vials to her car and slid one inside her pocket. She’d learned not to laugh at anything out of the ordinary. On her drive home, she thought about Jenny’s prediction. This vial was never leaving her.

  By the time she unlocked the door for her condo, the sun was balancing on the horizon. Only a single lamp glowed on the computer desk, leaving everything in shadows. She chewed her bottom lip as she gazed out the windows. Damian would leave soon, to stand guard with his fellow gargoyles, to keep the city safe from “others.” Would a menacing fog roll through Bay City? Would someone else die?

  She thought of the priest’s words—“Be kind to it.” A little hard to fathom. Whether it wanted to be here or not, she couldn’t feel sorry for it. It killed people.

  Hecate was still asleep on the long, leather couch. Damian’s voice greeted her from the balcony. “I have supper waiting for you out here. Are you hungry?”

  She was always hungry. He knew that. She headed out to see him. She handed him his vial and said, “Keep it with you.” She told him about Jenny’s vision and the priest’s words.

  Damian stuffed a vial in his pocket, along with two more for his friends. “Nothing special tonight. Only a panini. I spent most of my time on the computer.”

  “And?”

  “There was a Nen mentioned in early Egyptian times who was wrathful and horrible to behold.”

  “Sounds like our warlock.”

  “He was still young when he started his career of evil. The pharaoh had him banned, but he practiced his arts at a city on the Nile, and no one challenged him.”

  “Would you if you didn’t have to?”

  “No.”

  Reece shrugged. “Who knows? He might have been young for decades. Warlocks don't have to age like mortals. Hecate told me his mother tried to give him time to grow into his magic, hoped it might make him wiser.”

  “She didn't stand a chance. He was always wrathful. Pulled the wings off flies and tortured cats—sacred to the Egyptians. He moved on from there.”

  “It sounds like Banafrit was fighting a losing battle.”

  “If it’s the Nen I researched, his dad was one of the head priests for burials, tried to teach Nen that souls were immortal, that Anubis measured good deeds against bad at the time of death.”

  Reece thought about that. How could a child that was so loved turn so evil? She munched on her sandwich, looking out over the city. Leaf buds were beginning to bulge on the trees planted on each side of the street. Flowering pears. Beautiful to behold in full bloom.

  She sniffed the air. Full of promise. Spring time excited her. So much energy ready to rupture into life. She frowned and sniffed again. There was a faint scent lingering with the others. Magic? Was that what blocked her from communicating with her great-grandmother? Her hand went to her necklace, and it thrummed to life. Her eyes went wide. Had Luna gotten through somehow? And then the moonstone went dead. Blocked again.

  Damian pushed himself to his feet. “I have to go.”

  Reece nodded. She was safe here, surrounded by their protective potion. “Remember the holy water.”

  “Don’t worry. I will.” He unfurled his wings and leapt into the air. She watched him fly into the shadows, out of sight.

  She sat on the balcony a while longer, absorbing the serenity of the night. Cars moved up and down Madison Street, but at a more relaxed pace. Would the demon hunt again? Would he devour another mortal? How often did a demon feed? There was nothing they could do to track it at the moment. And even if they found it, what then?

  She pushed herself to her feet and went inside, closing the doors behind her. It was time to relax,
to think of other things. She turned on the food channel, keeping the volume low. No drama here. Just recipes and sustenance. Twenty minutes later, with visions of coq au vin in her head, she called it a night.

  Chapter 6

  Andre came for breakfast the next morning. He bent over Hecate on the couch and kissed her forehead. While she stretched and yawned, he went to set the table.

  Damian wiggled his eyebrows at Reece as he brandished a spatula to turn the French toast. "I'm making you something special."

  Flames shot from a nearby pan. Reece shook her head. Bananas foster flambéed for a topping. An impressive sight. Obviously, gargoyles never took easy options.

  Reece helped carry food to the table, then took the seat across from Hecate. Her friend looked groggy from too much sleep. She gulped down one cup of coffee and went to pour herself another.

  “Did the demon walk last night?” It was the wrong time to ask, when Damian was trying to make things pleasant, but Reece had to know.

  “If he did, we didn’t see him.”

  Hecate, revived with the caffeine, shook her head. “Nen won’t let it feed that often. He summoned the demon and controls it, but the demon will want to break free. The more it feeds, the stronger it gets. Nen will want it strong enough to defeat us, but weak enough to do his bidding.”

  Fork in midair, Damian frowned, confused. “How often is that? How much does a demon need?”

  “It’s according to how much energy it expends.” Hecate plopped a dollop of whipped cream on top of her lush treat. “Nen won’t starve it. He’ll use food as a reward when it does his work. But demons hate any kind of control. Nen will have to strike the perfect balance, or the demon will attack him.”

  “Sort of like my relationship with Reece,” Damian teased.

  Reece shot him a dirty look, but damn, the man could cook! It took every ounce of control not to moan each time she took a bite. Orgasmic. That’s how good it was.

  Andre leaned forward. “Can we use that somehow? Work with the demon?”

  Hecate shook her head. “Do you want to become its master?”