Demons (Darkness #4) (17 page)

I tried not to notice the accusatory glance Jameson shot me. My heart sank. I was taking Stefan away from the fight, from his vengeance.
From him making his past right.

I took another deep breath. This was no time for second-guessing. His presence would be more valuable on my end.

“Those merges are set. Ready?” I pushed.

We made our way through the house and out the front door to a waiting team of idling cars. Jonas and Charles joined me immediately, fierce-eyed and grim-faced. Toa drifted up out of nowhere, Dominicous right behind.

“Sasha, this is a powerful demon. The one who summoned it—”

“Let’s do this in the car,” I cut Toa off. “We need to get there.”

Jonas crawled into the driver’s seat of his Hummer, and Stefan followed into the front passenger seat, simmering. He was keeping it together, but emotion ripping at him. Pushing, pulling. Half of him felt like a little kid, scared and uncertain. The other a warring man, ready to tear into this thing that threatened his way of life. The link put it all out there, showing me his every emotion. His face showed none of it.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. This was real.
Really, really real.

“Okay, Toa, what were you saying?” I asked as Charles whisked Dominicous into another ride.

“The one who summoned the demon is on site, and he will be giving commands. The demon will be trying to break free, however. Always trying to break free. It will speak to you. I haven’t told you this—”

“I can speak to them, yes, I know,” I cut Toa off again. “Jonas told me.”

Toa’s lips made a thin line across his face. “Jonas the expert, yes. And did he, perhaps, tell you
how
you can assume control?”

“No, and I doubt I’ll be able to learn now, while also trying to link, while also trying to cut it out of this world.”

“Don’t try to assume control, no. That is a lesson for another day—one I am still reading up on. But you need to try and discourage it from connecting with you. You don’t want it to get in your head. They have been known to steal the power of their supposed masters. As one that can speak to it, you will be a potential master in its eyes.”

“It won’t be any different than normal, though, right?” I qualified, my butt tingle getting decidedly more pronounced the closer we got to the site.

I wanted to roll down the window and jump out of the moving vehicle. Then, after I rolled to a bloody stop, I wanted to hobble away as fast as possible. My inner sense said heading into this danger was the worst possible decision I could possibly make. It made concentration difficult.

“This one has more power,” Toa answered, cool as a spring day. “Its words will be harder to tune out.”

“Great. Should be a hoot.”

We rolled to a stop amid a sea of vehicles. Charles and Dominicous were getting out beside us, both ignoring the gaggle of witches filing out of the car as well. The people in my car didn’t move.

I watched the witches through the window crowd around Charles, demanding answers.

“We’re here,” I said into the quiet car.

“Yes,” Toa responded.

“Cover the link, Sasha,” Stefan said in a low tone.

“But Stefan—”

“Cover the link.” He looked back, power and command shocking into me.

I took another big breath as fear and uncertainty muffled, and then disappeared from my body. Well, Stefan’s fear anyway—I still had plenty of my own.

I searched down deep for the other link, the faint one left over from when I was a child in shock. When I found it, I nearly gasped.
Impatience, anxiety, and yes, fear warring through his center, spiking and rolling.

Amazed, I jerked my vision toward him, on the other side of Charles’ car. There Dominicous stood, face firm and resolute, his strength and power expressing his utter confidence.

It was good to know my fear wasn’t abnormal—I was just worse at hiding it. Or ignoring it.

“Ready, Sasha?” Stefan asked in bold tones. He was getting ready to lead.

“She nodded,” Toa helped, climbing gracefully from the car.

I clambered out as well, feeling the adrenaline start to pique through my limbs. I opened up and let the elements flow, washing over me. Immediately the
wrongness
of the magic in the area accosted me, magical sludge covering me in filth.

“This place doesn’t feel right,” Delilah said softly as she stepped closer. The others came over as well. “Something not good awaits us.”

Large warriors stepped around us, making their way to the battle zone. All the guys with us except Jonas and Charles did the same, getting in position, coming up with a plan.

“Call the corners right now,” I addressed the group of women. “Stay connected.”

I turned to stare directly at Birdie. “If the demon breaks through, you need to run. Get out of here, okay? Take the girls with you.”

Her chin
rose a fraction. “Absolutely not. You’ve been at this for a few months. I’ve been at this for a few decades. I will not turn tail if you need me.”

The others nodded, less certain, but not cowards. And that was the thing with women. We could show our fear, and admit to being terrified, but when someone was in need, we pushed that aside and showed up to the party.

I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Stupid move, but okay.”

“Mage.” A steadfast man, short for his race at only six-foot-one or so, stared down at me with a severe face. He looked vaguely familiar, but so did everyone. I was having a hard time remembering what duty everyone had.

“Yes?”

“I’m Zeke. Chief magical user, specializing in linking. I’ll be leading the magical unit to protect you.”

“Oh. Thanks.” What else was I supposed to say?
Yes, I should’ve remembered you of all people. Sorry about that. Also, thanks for putting your life on the line for someone that completely forgot your duty.

I really needed to start doing flashcards with faces and names!

As if on cue, a cluster of men and women pushed in behind him, ready to follow me to the front line and battle with magic. And somehow, it felt way different than battling the Eastern Territory. For one, we weren’t squaring off against people with the same caliber of fighting—we were squaring off against an otherworldly creature. Second, everyone was scared shitless. I could see it in the tiny movements and the shifty eyes.

For them to be afraid—a warrior race who thrived on battles—meant this was a very bad situation.

“Suck it up, child. There is a job to be done.” Birdie patted me on the back, the last touch being a small shove.

Summoning my courage, I marched out beyond the cars, magical people at my back. Jonas and Charles waited for me, falling in beside me as I passed.

“Ready for this, Sasha?” Charles asked quietly.

I nodded. I didn’t trust my voice.

A line of huge warriors spread out before me, standing firm on scarred and burnt grasses. Swords glowed at sides and tattoos peeked out of battered and stressed leather. Off to the left was a group of trees holding some sort of cloth hanging within its branches. The wind, slight but present, billowed the material, catching on leaves. A flickering glow from within half silhouetted a large figure, still for the moment.

That had to be the guy who summoned the demon.

“Why don’t we go and rip that loser out of the trees?” I asked the cluster around me.

“He is within the confines of his spell. If we cross his barrier, it will release the demon.” Toa drifted up, sparing only a quick glance for the magic people behind me. “We have two objectives here tonight.
One, take down the demon. Obviously, this is first. Two, capture whoever is calling them. He will be tied here while the demon is in existence—a stronger demon has a stronger hold on the caster. One of this magnitude will bind him, I am sure. If he loses hold for even one moment, he will be in a fight for his life, just as we are. When we banish the creation, we will hope to have enough manpower alive to go after the creator.”

“Always with the sugar-and-flower delivery, Toa,” I commented, my arms shaking so bad I had to clasp my hands together. “A real encourager, you are.”

“You sound like Yoda. Come on.” Charles put his hand on my back to steer me, something he did when he knew my courage was dicey. The warmth of his hand seeped into my skin, comforting me a little. Worst came to worst, he wouldn’t leave me.

As I neared the cluster of warriors, a hole formed in their wall of muscle. For the first time, I could see across the field. The rays of the nearly full moon fell across a huge, winged creation, looking surprisingly like…

“Is that an angel?” I asked in a wispy voice.

“A weeping angel,” Stefan answered in a growl. “It’s merely the form it took.”

“But…it looks sweet and innocent.”

Standing within the confines of a large circle drawn in the ground by what looked like oil, but was most assuredly blood, stood a slender woman-figure in billowing robes. A band or wreath of some kind circled her head, trapping short blondish curls to her scalp. A serene expression stared out of a porcelain face. Large, feathery black wings curled up behind it.

“That’s just not right,” I reflected.

Beyond the circle, standing twenty yards away on what must be their
territory, was a half-circle of fur. Animals of all varieties had lined up and spread out with a huge bear in the middle, staring across at us. Tim and his crew were ready to fight, waiting on my signal.

“Okay, let’s get this party underway.” Stefan glanced to his right and left, his warriors taking his signal and immediately falling into formation. A line stretched out along the circle on our half of the territory line, swords hanging low and ready, the colors of red through burnished gold.

“But if we just cover one side, and the Shifters run,” I commented softly, “which they won’t, but if they did, the demon would just run that way and escape. I thought you would try to double-cover…”

“
Andris is controlling this demon,” Stefan informed me in a tight voice. “It will come for me. After it kills me, it will try to take you, most likely. Trek didn’t know much, but he was under the impression Andris could bend you to his will if I were out of the picture.”

“Well, Trek has always been a little delusional. The cape should’ve told you that.”

“And we don’t have enough people to double-cover,” Stefan went on. “We have to focus on what’s important. You.”

The fabric within the tree saw movement and pushed to the side. The angel in the center of the circle looked slowly to her right.
And out walked Andris, cool and calm, sporting a small smile on his relaxed face.

His eyes found, and then stuck to, Stefan. His smile grew. “We meet again.”

“Which was your intention,” Stefan returned. “You’ve been practicing.”

“Of course.
You know me; I like to get it right before I use my knowledge to its full potential.”

“But you didn’t get it right with Trek.”

Soft laughter echoed across the clearing. “Not yet. He’s a fool, but a useful one. And you’ve kept him safe and sound for me, thank you for that. I will pick up that project after this. With all your magic workers here, who is left to protect your homestead?”

“We’ve always had more talent than you,
Andris. We have plenty more magic workers at the mansion, and more still in other outcroppings.”

“Yes, but not the best. Speaking of—” His honey-spun eyes flashed to me.
“Sasha, so good of you to come. Do you think you’re ready for this?”

“I have a white mage, too.” I jerked a thumb at Toa. “And your practicing has really helped my understanding of how these little suckers exist. I can blink this thing out
lickity-split.”

“Are you so sure?”
Andris asked in a silky voice.

Nope. I absolutely wasn’t.
Especially in the face of all that confidence. But he didn’t have to know that.

“Let’s get the show on the road,” I drawled. “I’m not in the mood for drawing things out.”

“Of course.”

A flare of brilliant orange lit up the clearing, a translucent circle shimmering around the demon. Its face turned straight again, its eyes glancing from one face to the next. When it got to mine, it stopped.
A tiny smile quirked plump lips.

“A power play among masters.
But you are so young. Such a young, pretty thing.” The words tickled my ears and seduced my senses. They sparkled and shimmered, wrapping me up and sucking all of my focus toward it. I didn’t want to look away. I didn’t want to breathe. I only wanted to listen. “I will enjoy feasting on your young flesh.”

“What, no riches and wealth of power?” I asked sardonically, barely hearing my own voice, my magic pushing into that circle and feeling around the spells contained there.

“I have no need of riches. I have my own wealth of power. But, oooh, your magic feels nice. Clean. Uncorrupted. Yes, a good feast it will be.”

“Sasha…”