Faith Revisited (26 page)

“Oh God.” Hope clutched the dashboard as they were sent pitching forward again.

The third hit was on the back corner of the passenger's side, and it sent the SUV skidding to the left. Kash tried to right the vehicle, but he overshot the road. The truck went down a small gully and came to a stop as it slammed into the embankment. The force of the impact into the steering wheel had Kash struggling for breath.

Beside him, Hope was unconscious. He reached across the interior, pushing her prone body back into the seat. Gently grasping her chin, he whispered her name, noticing the line of blood rolling down the side of her face. “Damn it. Hope, doll, you need to wake up.” He gave her chin a little shake, and an unsettled laugh escaped his lips when she groaned.

Kash grabbed his phone and punched in a few numbers, then threw it onto the floor of the vehicle. Turning his attention back to Hope, he found her eyes open.

“Sweetheart, I'm going to get out, and I want you to lock the doors behind me. Remy should be here any minute. Do you understand?” At her slow nod, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Kash opened the door and stepped out of the SUV. The headlights from the other vehicle temporarily blinded him, and he raised a hand to block out the glare. That's when he saw them.

There were ten males, all brandishing weapons—guns, bats, and a few knives. But what stood out was that they all appeared human. Upper-level demons. Kash cursed under his breath. They would be as difficult to kill as he was, but Kash pulled out his twin double-bladed swords 116

Madelyn Ford

anyway. Dissipating wasn't an option, not with Hope, so his only choice was to fight until help arrived.

He was rushed by five while the rest hung back, fanning out around him. Kash tried to keep an eye on all of them while his attention was focused on those he fought, but there were just too many of them. One got close enough, and he swung a sword. The blade connected with the demon's neck, slicing his head cleanly off. With a sickening thud, the head hit a nearby tree as the body slumped to the ground. While surprised by the turn of events, Kash didn't have time to contemplate them. One down, nine to go.

While another took the place of his fallen comrade, Kash parried and lunged, swiveled and sidestepped. A second demon made the mistake of stepping within range of his blade and quickly shared his friend's fate. The rest quickly changed tactics.

The sound of a gun discharging was his only warning. He dived out of the way, but not in enough time to keep the bullet from ripping through his side. The distraction allowed another demon to step closer, and Kash gritted his teeth as the end of a baseball bat smashed into his forearm. He barely managed to maintain a grip on the sword in his hand.

The bullet wound hurt like a son of a bitch, and he was pretty certain his arm was fractured, but Kash kept fighting. With some satisfaction, he thrust his blade through the chest of a demon and watched in fascination as blood bubbled up from the bastard's mouth. It was the damnedest thing he'd ever seen, and he briefly wondered if these were not full demons but, like Zeke's informant Ray, half demons.

A bullet shattering glass and then Hope's scream tore Kash's attention away from his attackers. Glancing behind him, he spotted a demon dragging her from the car and attempted to rush toward her, stopping only as a blade pierced his back, slicing through his spinal column. He lost the ability to stand, dropping like a ton of bricks onto the forest floor.

“Let go of me, asshole!” Kash heard Hope scream, and then, “Don't hurt him!” just before another gunshot erupted through the night. As a bullet pierced Kash's temple, he knew no more.

* * * *

Bale's expletive had the hairs on Faith's arms standing on end as he pivoted so that she was between his body and Zeke's car.

“Six o'clock.”

His explanation to Zeke had her glancing around Bale, and for one brief moment, she saw what had him on high alert. Walking briskly down the other side of the street away from the club was a demon that looked suspiciously like her Lilu demon.

She sensed rather than saw Zeke tense. Then a deadly smile spread across his face. “This night will not be a total waste after all. Let's see where our
friend
falls in all of this.”

“Friend” was spoken with such maliciousness that she might have pitied the demon if he had not threatened her sister. Oh…and been a murderer. So maybe not.

“Let him go.”

Bale's response had her gaze darting back to him in disbelief. There was no way she was going to let this opportunity slip by. She owed the bastard and intended on making sure he paid in blood.

The Watchers: Faith Revisited

117

With a quick glance at her, Zeke fished a hand in his pocket. “I'll go after him. You take Faith home.” He tossed something that reflected in the light of the parking lot, and as Bale caught the object in one hand, she realized it was the keys to Zeke's car.

Eyes narrowing at Zeke, Bale threw the keys back. “You heard Remy. No one is to hunt alone. Especially
that
demon, Zeke. I know in my gut he's connected to this.”

“Then shouldn't one of us get the information we need from the bastard?”

“Not tonight.”

Zeke had already pulled out a small dagger and held it clutched in his fist when Bale's words stopped him short. He turned sharply and arched a brow, as if challenging Bale to try stopping him.

Faith shifted restlessly as she watched the demon turn the corner, moving out of sight.

“Hello. While you two argue like little girls, the demon is getting away.”

Bale growled, clearly not amused. His gaze shifted from her to Zeke; then he sighed. He held up a hand, catching the keys Zeke tossed back to him. After opening the trunk, he bent down and pulled out an eight-inch curved blade. “We just follow. We will not confront him,” he said, demanding Zeke's agreement before he handed her the dagger.

Zeke nodded brusquely.

Much to Faith's entertainment, Bale continued to retrieve a small cache of weapons, handing her another eight-inch knife, three throwing stars, and a set of claws he made her slip her fingers through. They were too big, designed to fit his much larger hands, and she had to struggle to keep from dropping them. Zeke gave a snort as he looked her over. She would have flashed him a middle finger if she could have.

With a roll of her eyes, she turned to Bale. “Can we go now? Or do you intend to completely weigh me down so I cannot outrun the bad guys? Is this your not-so-subtle way of getting rid of me?”

“Would you prefer I leave you locked inside the car?” he asked even as he was gently removing the claws and dumping them back into the trunk. After he closed the lid, he folded his arms across his chest and stared down at her. “This is a bad idea.”

“We are just seeing where he goes, not confronting him. But come on. It's only a Lilu demon.” Her protests seemed to fall on deaf ears.

“If you do something foolish, I will be getting that rope, Faith.”

Faith arched a brow at him. “You know, you keep threatening that, but so far, all talk, no action.”

“As interesting as this conversation is becoming, don't we have a demon to track?” Zeke asked, his voice laced with amusement.

Faith turned from the two males, her face reddening at the realization Zeke had overheard their conversation and understood the significance. For the briefest of moments, his eyes had flared with desire. As Zeke took the lead following the demon, her thoughts turned to the rope he'd told Bale was in his trunk, wondering now at its purpose.

Faith found herself bracketed between the two males, and the trio crept silently after the demon in a fluid motion, as if they had done this a million times before. She was a little disconcerted at how comfortable it felt. While Bale and Zeke moved like a natural extension of 118

Madelyn Ford

each other, she found it very easy to adjust to their rhythm, not needing verbal cues to understand which direction Zeke would turn to stay in the shadows and out of sight.

The demon walked purposefully for three blocks before turning to the left down a cross street. He traveled another four blocks, then veered to the right into a darkened alley. At the end was a set of wooden garage doors, one of which the demon opened. As he slipped inside the small warehouse, he left the door open.

Zeke hesitated, glancing back at Bale before following into the dimly lit building.

Cautiously they crept after the demon, then came to a stop and crouched down behind a vehicle hidden beneath a gray tarp. Peering over, Faith could see the demon was meeting with someone, but he was standing with his back to them. He was human in appearance, tall and muscular, and his curly black hair shone purple under the overhead light. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark T-shirt, and the sword strapped to his waist looked out of place. Focusing her attention on the sword's handle, she thought it looked familiar. As Bale's sudden curse captured her attention, she understood why. The sword was very similar to her mate's, and Faith suspected she was looking at their missing brother, Raym.

The unmistakable stench of sulfur enveloped them just before a deep, gravelly growl reached them—and it wasn't the cute noise Bale made when he was angry. There was no mistaking that what was behind them had every intention of tearing them limb from limb.

Bale said something to Zeke in a language Faith did not understand, but it made his brother grimace and nod. Then Bale stood to his full height and turned to face the threat. Glancing up to the ceiling, he muttered something under his breath, and the air within the warehouse began to swirl like puffs of smoke. As visibility diminished around Faith, she noticed the tendrils of fog sweeping around the Lilu demon and his companion.

The dark-haired male glanced around at the wisps of vapor that appeared to be enveloping him, and recognition dawned on his face. “Damn it, you fool. You've led them right to us.” Then he was gone, and only the thickening fog remained where he had stood.

As Faith struggled to figure out a way to stop the Lilu demon from vanishing like his friend, his gaze met hers, and he smiled. Giving her a small wave, he too disappeared. “Shit,” she muttered. The bastard had escaped her again.

A loud
crack
caused her to jump, and she watched in horrified fascination as what appeared to be lightning shot from the ceiling, illuminating the area where she was crouched at Bale's feet. As she scoped out the threat, she wished she had remained in the dark. Poised ready to strike were six Rabisu demons and three Alu demons.

“Oh…double shit.”

“If Zeke or I tell you to run, you'd better hightail your ass out of here. And you'd better not die on me. Do you understand?” Bale snapped over his shoulder at her.

As Bale waved his hand, another bolt of lightning shot toward the demons, causing two of them to lunge out of the way. The others cringed back, the light hurting their eyes. At first Faith had thought that the conditions inside the warehouse could be attributed to the demons, but as it was only negatively affecting them, she'd begun to revise her thinking. But who? And how?

“Edge toward the door. Bale's ambience will only confuse them for a little while.” Zeke's head motioned to the open door leading out to the alley.

It took a moment for his words to register. “You mean Bale is doing this?”

The Watchers: Faith Revisited

119

Zeke grinned, a look that said he thought the fun was just beginning. “We all have our talents.”

As he slowly rose to his feet, she noticed for the first time the double-edged ax he held in his hands. Between him and Bale, she was feeling slightly out-weaponed with only the measly eight-inch blade and three throwing stars Bale had handed her earlier. She now wished she hadn't made fun of the set of claws he'd given her. They'd have been useful, because she wasn't about to run for the door unless she had to.

Zeke and Bale charged, taking advantage of the demons' confusion. Having promised she would not do anything rash, Faith held back. But she did not have to wait for long. Charging toward her were not one but two Alu demons.
Shit.

They came at her snorting and puffing, and it took everything she had not to let fear overcome her. With Bale's blood running through her veins, she knew she was strong. She only hoped it was enough.

Faith pulled her dagger from her boot, testing the weight of both weapons briefly before the demons were upon her. She met their advance, amazed at how fluid her movements felt as steel clashed against steel. The vibrations traveled up her arms, but she held her ground, gripping the handles of both knives tightly.

One grunted to the other over her head, and before Faith realized what was occurring, a third blade appeared, aimed for her neck. Without even thinking, she arched her back, her upper body angling toward the floor in a movement she hadn't even been aware she was capable of.

The steel swung past her, the disturbance it caused ruffling her hair.

She immediately popped back up, her own dagger slicing through a demon's forearm, that third blade falling to the cement floor with an echoing
clank
. The squeal of outrage the demon emitted was much like that of a wounded pig, and Faith was surprised her eardrums didn't explode from the offensive sound.

She had lost sight of Bale and Zeke in the fog, but the sounds of fighting continued. She knew she was on her own, and against the two Alu demons, she was tiring quickly. In a desperate attempt, she maneuvered her body between the two, and with such precision it could have only been described as pure luck, she ducked just as both demons swung at her. The head of one went sailing through the air just before head and body exploded in a puff of smoke.