Shadow Demon

by Judith Post

  Andre went to the couch and slumped down on it. His beer bottle was empty, and he was growing restless. He looked at the side table with the chess board. A game was in progress. “Who’s ahead?”

  Father Daniel chuckled and sat on the sofa opposite his. “Benito, I’m afraid. We had to stop our game when the girl came to my door. Maybe fate was intervening. I have a new strategy now.”

  Benito gave Daniel a sympathetic look.

  Father Daniel sighed. “I wish witches could wave wands instead of brew potions. I don’t mean this as a criticism, but the girl’s not particularly attractive. Not overly smart, either. There are more people willing to take advantage of her than to lend a hand.”

  “You deal in faith,” Hecate said, “and everyone needs that, but we deal in magic. Sometimes, a charm can prove useful.”

  The old priest blinked. “What sort of charm?”

  Hecate smiled. “A crystal to help her find her true love or one that helps her find her true gift…or both.”

  Father Daniel grew thoughtful. “I’m sorry to say I didn’t fully understand your abilities. I’ve underestimated you.”

  “Our fault,” Luna said. “We do our best to remain unknown to mortals.”

  Antony pursed the perfect lips his artist had chiseled for him and studied her. “That must make it hard for you to contribute to life the way you’d like to.”

  “That’s why I run a magic shop,” Hecate said. “The customers who walk through my doors are looking for something. I help them as much as I can.” She took out a business card and handed it to Father Daniel. “Send the girl to us.”

  “Once your battle is over, I might bring her to you myself.” The old priest smiled. “I’ve never been inside a magic shop.”

  Reece turned to Hecate, surprised. “The young girl, Regina—that’s why you let her dawdle in your shop after school. I thought you took a special interest in her, but that’s commonplace, isn’t it? You use your magic to help people.”

  For the first time, Reece saw Hecate blush. “Banafrit isn’t the only one who tries to heal mortals. I do it in a different way.”

  Father Daniel threaded his fingers together, as if in prayer. “Bless you, child. You’re following your calling.”

  Reece had never thought of witches that way, but he was right. She hadn’t wanted her magic, was afraid of it. But what would have happened if she’d refused it? How many people would have died when the rogues attacked? What had Benito told her? It was a gift, and how she used it was up to her.

  Antony came to frown at the chessboard. “The heavens did bless you,” he told Father Daniel. “I see a clear way for you to win.”

  Benito sighed. “Enough talk of chess! Now Daniel’s head will swell. Victory brings out the worst in him.”

  Aidann was not amused. “We have our answers. We should leave.”

  “Why?" Luna ignored him. "There's nothing for us to do at the moment. What have you been doing since you left me, Benito? Who did you save next?”

  Benito launched into a story of his first days in America. “A wild country, full of untamed energy. Not as civilized as Europe.”

  They spent the rest of the day catching up with each other. When they finally left, Father Daniel had a five-o’clock mass to attend to, and Reece was hungry. Again.

  A good sign, she decided. Her body was finding its rhythm. Maybe everything else would follow.

  Chapter 20

  Reece was up and waiting when Damian returned the next morning with a half dozen rosaries and as many vials of holy water. She’d gone to bed early the night before, almost as soon as supper was over. She didn’t even stay up to see Damian off for his watch. She woke at daybreak, her energy renewed. “Let’s go to Nen’s. We can meet the Weres there and bury the beads.”

  “Not without us, you aren’t.” Luna pushed off the air mattress and held out a hand to help Aidann. It was a good thing Reece had bought a queen-sized bed. The witches refused to touch while they slept—Aidann hugging his side of the mattress and facing one wall, Luna on the other.

  Andre groaned from the recliner. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Can you guys keep it down? Some of us have to work for a living. It was late when I got back from the restaurant last night.” But when Hecate left the sofa and started to the kitchen, he tossed off his blanket and pushed himself out of his chair to follow her. He wore pajama bottoms—no shirt. Hecate’s gaze ran over his torso and she licked her lips, fully awake and alert.

  Reece glanced at her gargoyle. He was shirtless, too, his wings relaxed as he poured himself a glass of orange juice. Her pulse quickened. Everything about Damian looked chiseled and hard, but he was soft to the touch. Or at least, soft enough.

  When he plopped in the chair opposite hers, he wore his serious face. She pushed the front page of the newspaper across the table to him. “This will cheer you up. Everyone will be afraid to get close to Nen’s house. Pete told the reporter the man who was quarantined was suspected of having a rare bubonic plague from Egypt.”

  Damian grinned, as she’d hoped he would. “It’s a good thing mortals can lie. This one’s a whopper, but it works.”

  Aidann, as usual, ruined the moment. “There are still mortals who can’t resist a warlock’s summons,” he intoned. “The sooner we put up stronger protections, the better.”

  The brief bubble of cheer deflated. It wasn’t like they were trying to dodge out on their duties. They just wanted a cup of coffee before they entered the foray. But the mood was gone.

  Six people trying to get ready at the same time in a condo with one bathroom slowed things down a bit, but forty minutes later, they were ready to walk out the door.

  Reece’s hair, as usual, was pulled back in a ponytail. Luna, with the same dark-brown, wavy locks let hers sweep her shoulders.

  The weather was so warm, Reece wore jeans with a short-sleeved T-shirt. She didn’t even need socks. For the first time since winter, she could jam her feet into the worn-out pair of moccasins that Joseph had given her two years ago for her birthday. More practical than Jenny’s gift—a teddy bear that Reece kept on her bedside table. She loved the damned thing.

  Both kids had called last night, excited. They’d gotten the money Reece sent them to go to Disney World. Damian had insisted on going in half with her. “We’re a couple now. This is our battle. We share our lives. We share a bed, and we share your family.”

  The way he embraced Joseph and Jenny touched her. But her family! “Even Eugene?”

  He sighed. “Even him.”

  The money had proved a happy distraction. It still wasn’t safe for Joseph and Jenny to come home, and even with a beach and a pool, they were getting restless. They had friends in Bay City. They had birthday parties and Laser Tag. It was always fun to break routine, but equally rewarding to return to it.

  “How are you doing?” Reece asked her mom. Mom used to travel. She’d do weekend outings with her friends. All that had changed when she married Eugene.

  “Eugene’s getting tired of being on his own.” He was probably calling to bitch every night. Reece could see him doing that.

  “I don’t give a fig about Eugene. He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself. It’s not safe for the kids to be here. But what about you? Are you having fun?”

  A smile crept into her mother’s voice. “The kids are the perfect ages for this. We’re having the best time together!”

  “Then stay in Florida where you’re safe.”

  “And you?” her mother asked, worry seeping into her tone.

  What could she say? “I’m surrounded by werewolves, witches, and gargoyles. I’m as safe as I can be.”

  “Not exactly the answer I was hoping for, but I guess it’s the best I’ll get.”

  “I’ll call again soon,” Reece promised. “And you’re stuck down there, so enjoy yourself.”

  Her mother laughed and the kids yelled their good-byes.

  This morning, on her way out of the condo, Reece glanced at
the small photo gallery she’d hung near her front door. Jenny and Joseph smiled from quite a few of the frames. There was a picture of her mom and dad before her father died.

  “Are you okay?” Damian hovered close, following her gaze.

  “Just getting a little mushy. This is taking longer than I expected.”

  He chuckled on their way to the elevator. “And how much time did you pencil in to defeat a demon and a raving warlock? Spring break?”

  “I thought we’d get done faster than when we fought the rogues.”

  He put an arm around her when they crammed into the small space with their friends. “So young. So naïve.”

  When the metal doors slid open, she glanced around the garage. “So old. So jaded. The coast is clear. Get in the car.”

  Her gibe didn’t faze him. He settled into the passenger seat.

  The air was warm and humid. The cement floor and pillars released oil and gasoline fumes, so she didn’t roll her windows down until she pulled onto the street. Then, fresh air flowed into the vehicle and she inhaled deeply.

  On the drive to Nen’s neighborhood, she noticed that the flowering crabapple trees had lost most of their blooms. Grape hyacinths and creeping phlox carpeted the ground with pinks and purples. Tulips splashed color while daffodils faded.

  She pulled behind Jimmerson’s rental, and they were climbing the steps to his apartment when Damian’s cell phone rang. Every person there had acute hearing, whether they were gargoyle, Were, or witch. They all listened in.

  “I have a predicament at my place.” There was no mistaking Wedge Durrow’s voice. “Two witches stepped in front of my truck when we left my property. When Patches and I got out to deal with them, we smelled more hidden in the woods.”

  Reece remembered Patches. During the war with the rogues, the gargoyles had caught him and his teenaged daughter. The rogue was dedicated to his child, so Wedge made him an offer. He could join his pack, along with his daughter Howler, or he could die.

  Wedge went on. “It was meant as a sneak attack, but my whole pack caught the scent of their magic. Now I have six bodies to dispose of.”

  “And your pack?” Damian asked. “Was anyone hurt?”

  “Nothing that won’t heal. These witches weren’t smart like Hecate and Reece. Just came with fire power, no silver nets. They bounced us around a lot, but we’ll survive.”

  “I’d like to see the bodies,” Aidann said. “Luna and I know most of the witches who’ve lived longer than a century.”

  “I’m not keeping them very long,” Wedge said. “Their magic stinks.”

  “Must be dark magic,” Hecate said.

  Reece turned to Aidann. “Damian can drive you there in my SUV.”

  But Damian didn't want to leave her stranded. When she handed him the keys, he asked, “When you finish here, how will you get home?”

  “If you're not back, I’ll ask Jimmerson to call Pete. He’ll give us a ride.”

  With a brisk nod, Damian set off with Aidann. Reece, Luna, Hecate, and Andre climbed the stairs to greet Jimmerson.

  “How’s it going?” Andre asked when they entered the apartment.

  “Nothing’s happening. All’s quiet.” Jimmerson tried not to sound grateful, but didn’t quite pull it off.

  Hud sat on the twin bed, flipping through magazines.

  “Where’s Gordy?” Luna asked.

  “With Pete.” Hud nodded toward Nen’s house. “We traded partners for a few days. Gordy’s having trouble being so close to the warlock.”

  There wasn’t much furniture in the room. Just two beds, a card table, and four folding chairs. Reece plopped onto one of the chairs. “Why does a summoning affect some people and not others?”

  “Different dispositions react to different things.” Hecate walked to the balcony and squinted up and down the street. “If there’s any darkness, any volatility in a person’s soul, that person feels Nen’s call more.”

  Hud grunted. “Gordy’s young. He’s learning, but he still wants to act before he knows what’s out there. He’s pretty wet behind the ears, not a lot of experience yet.”

  “And he’s Jimmerson’s partner?” Luna shook her head. “Why not send someone with more experience?”

  “Young officers have to start somewhere. Pete and I usually do first response, so when Jimmerson’s partner moved to a desk job, we figured Gordy could ease his way into our unit doing backup.”

  Andre grinned at Reece. “Sort of like you, kid! You had to learn on the job, too.”

  “You mean she had to survive it.” Hecate scanned the street again.

  “What are you looking for?” Luna asked, watching her.

  “I feel energy. I thought maybe someone was using an obscuring spell, but I don’t see any movement.”

  Luna went to stand beside her. She stilled and sniffed the air. “Something’s out there. I can feel it, but I don’t smell anything.”

  “Andre?” Hecate called her Were to them.

  Andre turned in all directions, sniffing, but shook his head. “No scent but magic. It’s building.”

  Jimmerson and Hud undid the snaps on their holsters. Reece stayed where she was, out of the way.

  “It’s coming from Nen’s house,” Luna decided.

  “Then the quicker we add the rosaries to our spells, the better.” Hecate started for the stairs.

  “Do you need us?” Hud called.

  “No, stay here. If we need backup, call for help. Not mortals. Our kind.” Hecate’s feet skimmed the steps as she hurried out of the house. She mumbled an obscuring spell as she crossed the street and started for Nen’s. Luna and Reece followed her example.

  “We’re coming!” Reece called to warn the Weres standing guard of their presence. Then she saw Bull and Whitey. They both knew their scents, would have already smelled them. “We just don’t want to be seen,” she explained.

  “Can’t say I blame you.” Bull motioned for Andre to join him and Whitey on the sidewalk a few feet away from the house. At this angle, trees blocked them from Nen’s view.

  The three women each took a rosary and a small trowel to begin digging a hole at each corner of the property. Reece no sooner sank to her knees to start digging than Nen’s front door flew open, and she saw Damian struggling to leave the house. Something pulled him back, but he jerked to the doorway again. He called, “Help me!”

  Reece dropped her spell in a second. She wanted Damian to see her, to know she was on her way. She jumped to her feet in an instant. She raced toward the door, but a bolt of energy knocked her sideways. She rolled onto her feet and charged the house again. This time, two bolts tossed her almost to the curb.

  “Do that again and I fight back!” Reece ran in a zigzag line, trying to dodge her friends’ blasts. An energy shield flew up in front of her. She hit it and bounced, landing hard on her ass in the front yard.

  “It’s Damian!” she screamed. “Nen has him!” She was up and running again, but a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind and whirled her to face him.

  “Stop! You can’t help him!” Andre's grip brought tears to her eyes, but Reece dropped in a martial arts move and flipped him out of the way. He was a Were, and he was strong, but she had moves he hadn’t seen. In a minute, she was rid of him.

  A shot of energy, aimed at her legs, missed and blew dust in front of her. She sidestepped it to run harder.

  Bull stepped forward. “Sorry,” he said, and a massive fist slammed into her face. Pain exploded, then everything went black.

  She woke on the narrow bed in Jimmerson’s room. Her head ached. Her neck felt like someone tried to remove it from her shoulders. The rest of her wasn’t much better. How many times had she landed on the ground?

  “Damian!” She struggled onto her elbows.

  “He’s with Aidann, remember? At Wedge’s property. It was Nen, an illusion spell.” Hecate placed her palms on Reece’s shoulders and pumped warm energy into her, giving her strength.

  “It’s a goo
d thing witches heal almost as fast as Weres, or you’d be down for a long time.” Luna looked at the size of the red mark on Reece’s cheek.

  Reece sagged back onto the mattress. “An illusion spell.”

  “What else would make you run into that house like a mad woman?” Luna asked.

  “Damian would never ask you to save him,” Hecate said, watching as Reece stilled to replay in her mind what had happened.

  “You’re right.” Damian had told her over and over again that they couldn’t save anyone if Nen grabbed them, to be smart and save herself. “What good will it do if we both die?” he’d said. But did she remember that when she saw him struggling in the door? No, all she could think about was ripping him away from Nen.

  Hecate pulled a chair next to the bed and sat beside her. “You were damned hard to stop. You’re one determined woman.”

  “Maybe Hecate and I should take martial arts.” Luna came to stand behind the chair. “It makes a great combination with magic.”

  Reece pressed her hands against her eyes. She wanted to erase the vision of Damian in trouble. She took a deep breath. She’d thought for sure she’d lost him, that Nen would torture him, then kill him.

  Andre laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Let’s bury the beads another day. You’ve had enough for right now.”

  “Nen used a lot of energy to perform that trick,” Hecate said. “It will take him a couple of days to be at full strength.”

  “We’ll come back tomorrow,” Andre said. “For now, let’s go home.”

  Reece let Andre help her to her feet. She felt numb, drained of emotion. Her bones ached. Her muscles hurt.

  “I’ll cook you something,” Andre murmured in her ear. “One of your favorites.”

  Her eyes misted, and she fought back tears. What a goose she’d been! Nen had played her so easily. “I feel so stupid.”

  “I saw Damian in that door, too,” Andre told her. “If it had been Hecate, I’d have done the same thing.”

  Hecate washed a golden breeze of energy his way, and he grinned. “A witch’s caress.” He put his arm around Reece to steady her. “Come on, newbie. Let’s get you home and back in fighting shape.”