A Demon in Dallas (12 page)

“I never trusted that man,” Silvia hissed, trying in vain to wake Cassandra, who was still out cold, her complexion sallow. “I always thought he was a snake.”

“You can’t beat me in a fight,” Connor said to the approaching betas. “I’m far stronger. If you walk away now, I’ll let you live.”

Both wolves chuckled throatily in reply. “Quite the comedian, aren’t you?” the shorter of the two remarked. “I’m going to enjoy killing you.”

Connor straightened his back so that more of his impressive six-foot-five frame was on display. “That isn’t how this is going to go down,” he warned. “This is your last chance to cut out.”

More laughing. I bent down and helped Silvia drag Cassandra to the side of the room. It was obvious that the fight was about to get ugly. Cassandra didn’t stir while we moved her. She wasn’t going to be happy when she woke up to find that Oliver had double-crossed her. I’d be pretty pissed off, too, if it was me.

“What are you waiting for,
fleabag
?” Jacob goaded. “Lost your nerve?”

The shorter wolf whom Oliver had introduced as Rick chuckled. “Come on, Jacob, let’s finish this.”

Connor turned to check that the two witches and I were at a safe distance from him and the wolves.

“Don’t worry about them,” Jacob snarled. “We’ll get to them when we’re done with you—might have ourselves a party with your little woman.”

When Connor snarled the wolves laughed harder, their eyes flashing amber. They turned to me and Jacob goaded, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, sweetheart?”

“Dream on, loser,” I retorted, reaching into my inside pocket to pull out my stake. It wouldn’t be much use against a fully shifted wolf, but if they stayed in their human forms, I knew I could hold my own.

Connor inched closer to the betas, making sure his large frame shielded me.

“Over my dead body,” he promised, the dangerous glint in his eyes indicating that he meant every word.

Both wolves grinned broadly, exposing bright white, razor-sharp teeth—wolf teeth. “Exactly what we had in mind,” Jacob said, his eyes flashing amber.

As Connor edged forward, keeping his eyes on the wolves who had begun to circle him, Cassandra started to stir, her eyes fluttering open. She looked dazed as her head turned to take in the sight around her. But I had no time to explain. Without any further warning, Jacob lunged at Connor. His fingers shifted into claws and he struck out, the sharp weapons missing Connor’s throat and chest by mere inches. Spinning around, Connor retaliated, hitting out with a blow of his own and his own claws slashed against Jacob’s back, slicing deep. Jacob yelled and fell to his knees, but before Connor could take advantage of his weakened position, Rick attacked.

Holding out my stake, I rushed forward to flank Connor, but he shouted at me to get back. His strong, right hook caught the wolf between the eyes and he too screamed out in frustration, stumbling backwards. By this time Jacob was back on his feet.

“Raven, there’s no time to waste,” Connor said over his shoulder while keeping his eyes fixed on the advancing wolves.

I knew what he meant, but I was torn. My every instinct told me to stay with Connor, to help him fight the wolves, but logic told me that I had to go after the demon and I couldn’t let Oliver get his hands on the book. I knew that Connor was strong enough to fight off the two betas even if I couldn’t stand to watch the fight play out.

“I’ll be right behind you,” he promised.

“Silvia, will you show me where the warlocks’ headquarters are based?” I asked in a rush.

She furrowed her brow, her gaze swivelling from Cassandra to me. “I can’t just leave her here.”

“Connor will protect her,” I promised. “But this is important. I have to stop the demon from using the book and we can’t let Oliver get his hands on it.”

She took one more look at Cassandra, who was beginning to come around, then nodded, her expression determined. “I’ll help you.”

The fight was in full swing when I grabbed hold of Silvia’s arm and led her around the room to the exit.

“Connor!” I shouted as we reached the door.

He got in a couple of good punches before lifting his gaze to mine. “Be careful,” he pleaded.

I nodded and tried to lift my mouth into a smile, but I think all I managed was a wince. “
You
be careful.”

Right before the wolves got their footing again and lunged at him, Connor said, “I forgive you, Raven. Don’t bail on me again.”

I pulled in a great big lungful of air and closed my eyes, overcome with emotion. I swallowed down the lump in my throat before replying. “If we get out of this alive, I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

Connor’s smile was radiant. “You’d better.”

Despite the life or death situation I was about to face, my heart felt light and I was happier than I could remember being when I slipped out of the door and joined Silvia outside. Before it closed behind me, the sounds of fighting reached my ears.

* * * *

“How come you’re so protective of Cassandra?” I asked, as we headed back towards the city centre. I took my eyes off the road for a brief moment to study the witch’s reaction. “I know she’s younger, but there has to be more to it than just being in the same coven. Are you related?”

Silvia shook her head, her expression stoic. “She’s my god-daughter. Her mother Elena and I were friends—best friends, actually. She was a great witch, terribly powerful. More talented than some of the elders in our coven. I always looked up to her. But even with her abilities she wasn’t able to fight off the cancer that finally claimed her life.

“Right before she died Elena made me promise that I’d take care of her daughter. Of course, Cassandra was already a grown woman by then. She could look after herself, but I agreed anyway. How could I not? Elena knew what her daughter was like, always getting into trouble, always needing to be bailed out. Despite all that, she loved her. She always saw the good in her.” Silvia sighed regretfully and shook her head. “Do you really believe she gave the book to the demon?”

I shrugged and took a right, following Silvia’s earlier directions. “It does seem like the most logical explanation. Especially after what you’ve just told me.”

“Yes,” Silvia agreed. “I think you might be right. Take a left here. The club is just a couple of streets farther on.”

I did as instructed then pulled up next to the sidewalk and cut the engine. On a hunch, I had decided on our way there to stop by the club before we headed to the headquarters of the warlocks’ coven. I couldn’t be sure, but I suspected that if the warlocks that owned the club had been helping to hide the demon, they’d been doing so without the knowledge of the rest of their coven, which would be filled with elders—older warlocks who made and upheld the laws. Even though warlocks were known for causing trouble in the human world, to freely associate with a demon would bring them unwanted attention from the watchers’ council. And Cassandra had said that the demon was hiding out in the club. So here we were. I only hoped my hunch was right because I didn’t have time to waste. Oliver had a head start on me.

After Silvia gave me directions to get to the club by foot, I told her to wait in the car and to call the council if I hadn’t returned within half an hour. She might be a powerful witch and could take care of herself under normal circumstances, but we were searching for a demon—about as far from normal as you could get.

Demons don’t have access to the same type of magic as witches, but they like to get inside your head, like to mess with you. They know your deepest, darkest secrets and how to exploit them to their advantage. It was going to be difficult enough fighting off my own demons in Barbatos’ presence without having the added stress of trying to keep someone else out of harm’s way.

Just as I expected, the front entrance to the club was locked so I circled around back and found that the fire door had been left ajar. I took a deep, calming breath, pushed it open and slipped inside. Instantly, I knew I’d come to the right place because Oliver’s body was lying on the floor just inside the door. His eyes were wide and unblinking. Kneeling down, I checked for a pulse, but I knew what I’d find. Even though there wasn’t a visible mark on his body, it was clear that Oliver was dead. Pulling a stake out of my jacket pocket, I stood and stepped around him. Peering into the dimly lit corridor, I took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the low light. I couldn’t hear any sounds coming from farther inside the club, nothing that indicated that the demon was still inside although it was unlikely that Oliver had scared him off. Cautiously, I crept forwards as quietly as I could, my stake raised shoulder height in front of me.

There was one door to the right of the corridor. When I pushed it open, it revealed nothing but an empty storage room. A further door on the left opened into a small office, which had a security monitor sitting on the desk. A brief look around confirmed that it, too, was empty. When I pushed open a third door at the end of the corridor, it led directly into the large open space of the club.

The sensible part of my brain recognised that I should be afraid. I didn’t know much about Barbatos, but I’d heard that he was powerful—just how powerful I was about to find out, although as I walked farther into the club I felt strangely calm and at ease. I wondered absently if I felt that way because Connor finally knew the truth and had forgiven me for it. If I was about to die, then at least I could die with the knowledge that he didn’t hate me for leaving him. But mostly I think I was just tired. Physically, mentally, I just wanted a resolution to the entire mess. I wanted to help Matt.

A long bar lined the back wall of the club. Spotlights shone down on it, offering a little illumination, but they were the only lights in the room that had been switched on. Even though my night vision was pretty good, I suspected that the demon’s vision would be even better. The club was just as Silvia had described. It looked like it was decorated for Halloween even though it was the middle of August.

I peered into the shadows, wondering if the demon was hiding in a corner somewhere, watching me. And what if the owners of the club were here too? I hadn’t thought past finding the demon. Circling the circumference of the room, I saw nothing out of place until my gaze zeroed in on an open door behind the bar, which had a faint light shining out from within. Leading with my stake, I headed for it and pushed it open. Behind the door was a stairway with a naked bulb hanging from the ceiling. I couldn’t see anything at the bottom, but I suspected that the stairs led to the cellar where the drinks were stored. With a last look over my shoulder, I began to descend. What was it with me and underground spaces lately?

I heard the low, rumble of laughter before I reached the bottom and finally a small dose of fear began to lick its way up my spine. It was the same sound that Cassandra had made when she’d done the locating spell. And, just like the first time, the sound was unnatural, inhumane.

“So nice of you to join me, Raven. I was wondering when we’d finally get to meet,” an emotionless male voice said from below. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

My footsteps faltered, but I shook myself mentally and continued down the stairs. I couldn’t put off the inevitable. When I reached the bottom, I had to duck my head under a low hanging beam as I stepped into a small empty room. It was cold down there and smelt strongly of damp and decay, but the acrid stench of demon overpowered everything else. I’d only encountered a couple previously and they had both smelt the same. Like fire and ash and death.

“Are demons always so polite?” I walked down a narrow passageway that led into a much larger room than the first. Crates of beer were stacked against the wall to my left, and straight ahead there were large, glass refrigerators, their shelves filled with what looked like bottles of blood.

“Why don’t you tell me?” he countered. “I know you’ve met a couple of demons before.”

Damn it
. He was reading my mind, had to be. I nodded, scanning the corners of the room. “That’s right, I did meet a couple. I killed them, too. Were they friends of yours?”

His low, eerie chuckle reverberated through my body, but the demon still didn’t show himself to me.

“Oh, just acquaintances,” he replied with a lazy drawl. “No one for you to worry your pretty little head over.”

I rolled my eyes. “Do I look worried?”

“As a matter of fact, you do.”

Stepping out from behind a stack of boxes the demon finally revealed himself. He was of an average height for a man, maybe five ten, five eleven. He appeared to be in his late thirties, although his real age was more than likely well into the thousands. He had mousy blond hair and a somewhat attractive face—rugged. I couldn’t help but think of him as average. I think that after all the build-up, I’d expected…more, but I knew better than to underestimate him.

“Very wise decision,” he said around a smirk that wasn’t mirrored in his eyes. The eyes were the only feature of his face that didn’t appear average, the evil within him shone brightly in them. They were a deep black colour, which mirrored the blackness of his soul. I swallowed down my fear and kept my gaze steady, not looking away for a single second.

“You know why I’m here,” I began. “Why don’t you save us both some time and effort and tell me where you’ve hidden the book?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He slipped his hands into the front pockets of his pants and shrugged. “The book, as I know you’re aware, is very valuable. I will be rewarded beyond measure when I use it to set him free from the underworld.”

“You mean by Lucifer?” When he took a step towards me, I tightened my grip on my stake. My instincts told me to retreat but I stood firm.

His grin broadened. “That is one of his names. He has many.”

I sighed. “Then we have a problem, because you know I can’t let you use the book.”

The expression on his face became smug. “Is that so? You and what army are going to stop me?”

When the demon took another step towards me, I sidestepped, my back almost touching the cold brick wall. My heart was beating ridiculously fast in my chest and although I tried not to show any outward signs of fear, if the demon could read my mind, then he knew exactly how I was feeling. When he began to circle the room, he reminded me of a predatory animal circling his prey. Belatedly, I realised what he’d been doing. Each step put him closer to the door and me farther from it. I looked to the exit just as a woman’s piercing scream carried down the stairs. Silvia.