The Demon Within (33 page)

Caly pivoted and strode away. Her stomach knotted, leaving her gut raw like a rough night on the town. She’d made her decision. It was the right choice, the best choice for all three of them.

Caly took another ten steps before the blade signaled trouble.

* * *

By the time Ruman shook off the shocking coldness of Caly’s words and moved to go after her, Brie placed a restraining hand on his arm.

“Don’t. Now’s not the time.” The ponytail she wore bobbed when she nodded to the building ahead. “There are too many inside for this to be an easy battle. As much as we don’t want her to fight, we need her. All we can do is protect her as much as she’ll allow us.” She dropped her hand.

Her small frame trailed after Caly. What Brie said might be correct, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Fist clenched, he increased his stride to catch up with the two women, his blood boiling with unspent anger. When they rescued Henry, he would sit Caly down and explain how things would work.

Behind him, the group divided. The main division headed to the building next door. The rest followed in his wake. They were quiet, as quiet as humans could be, but they were not silent.

The demons knew they were coming.

The entrance opened into a large lobby. An ornate elevator stood forgotten and silent at the opposite end of the room. The gold and silver leaf flaked, showing the corroded surfaces underneath. Once a source of pride, the place had fallen on hard times, tarnished by years gone by. Twin windows dominated the wall above the door they entered, while the rest of the room remained in shadows.

The group broke in pairs, moving in tandem to keep their backs covered as the teams surveyed the seemingly empty room.

An archway to the left opened to a flight of decrepit stairs. The only other opening was an empty doorway at the far left corner that led further in the building.

If cornered, very few avenues of escape were open to them. The demons had the advantage.

“Look who’s here.” Henry opened his arms in a parody of welcome. “Caly and her demon friends.”

Caly tensed. She had to have guessed this was a trap. To have it confirmed, however, was a different matter. In three strides, Ruman placed his body at her side, ready to shield her if needed then waited for her signal.

“Henry. I see you’re alive and well.” Her lips tightened. “And the call?”

“Was to get you here, although the demons’ unexpected arrival was an added bonus. I must say, you got here a lot quicker than I expected.” He pulled out a large blade in one hand and a gun in the other. With the gun pointed at her chest, he motioned to Caly’s hands. “I know how skilled you are with those knives. Drop them.”

Caly didn’t move. The hammer pulled back, clicking loudly in the hollowed out room.

“Now.”

Ruman knew how much it cost her to release her blades, yet she nodded her agreement. Arms out, she turned sideways and crouched. Her gaze never left Henry’s face. She set the knives down on the dulled, chipped tiles and rose.

“Now what?”

With a twist of his wrists, he motioned her with the gun to step aside. “Move.”

“No.” Caly raised her chin and stood her ground as if a gun wasn’t aimed at her. Ruman tensed. Though he admired her calm, he wanted to yell at her for taking such foolish risks.

Henry narrowed his eyes and pulled the trigger.

Ruman charged forward, but too late.

The bullet splintered the floor two feet in front of her right boot. Chips of tile and wood flew up in the air, peppering them.

Caly didn’t so much as move a hair as small spots speckled her arms and shoulder. The sight shot all his protective instincts into overdrive. Before he knew it, he was in motion to tear that bastard apart with his bare hands.

How dare he think to hurt what was his.

“Halt.”

Ruman stopped, shifting to face Henry. Rage poured energy into his body, until he shook as he fought for control. His stance relaxed, waiting for the chance to pounce. One small move toward Caly, and Ruman would show him that it was physically possible to shove someone’s head up their own ass. Relishing the thought, he smiled and gazed unblinkingly at Henry.

“You think this is funny?” Henry brandished a knife, the blade falling short of doing any damage.

Needing Henry closer in order to eliminate him, Ruman lifted his hand and urged Henry forward, taking pleasure in antagonizing him.

Henry might be stupid, but he wasn’t a fool. He ignored the taunt, and turned to Caly with a superior look. “You should’ve listened to me instead of openly consorting with demons.” His lips curled in a sneer. “You risk all of our lives over a worthless djinn and your demon lover.”

He looked between the two women and shook his head. “Your counterpart is much prettier.” A crooked smile crossed his face. “It’s a shame she has to die.”

Caly instinctively shifted closer to Brie. But not fast enough. The barrel swiveled in Brie’s direction.

The gun barked as he fired.

“You bastard.” Caly barely heard Jarred’s shout.

Disbelief swamped her as the bullet took Brie high in the meaty part of her shoulder. Caly battled instinct to go to her, terrified that because Brie was part human, another shot would kill her.

Brie clutched her shoulder and lifted her chin. Though pale, she was still in the game. In silent agreement, she spanned outward, creeping closer to Henry so slowly, Caly could scarcely tell she’d moved. Caly did the same, forming a semi-circle with Ruman and Brie on either side. He wouldn’t be able to watch them all at one time.

“Henry.” A woman’s soft voice came from behind him. The petite woman sashayed down the stairs in a leisurely fashion, her movements graceful and oddly hypnotic.

“Felicia, go back to our room.”

“Why would I want to do anything of the sort?” She smiled slightly at him, dismissing him as she surveyed the room. Her attention landed on Caly and lingered.

For a fraction of a second, Henry hesitated. “Felicia, honey. Why don’t you—”

“Oh, do shut up.” With a sweet smile, Felicia swung out sharply, her fist connecting to his temple. Henry collapsed in a heap. The weapons he’d held clattered against the hard floor.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Caly crouched, her hand inches from her blade when the creature spoke.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Even before she finished, the room filled with a dark fog. The air became murky, condensed as shadowy outlines took shape. Faces and bodies appeared eerily out of the mist one part at a time. In seconds, a contingent of demons was fully formed and ready for battle.

They were surrounded.

Caly’s smile was all teeth, and Ruman recognized the look of trouble.

“Then I’m lucky I’m not you.” In cadence, both Caly and Brie attacked. Brie disappeared and reappeared behind the demon stalking Caly, snapping the creature’s neck, incapacitating him for a few seconds.

Caly twisted sideways and kicked the demon’s legs out from under him. Brie leapt back as Caly slammed a knife in the stunned demon’s chest.

The handle quivered. The creature stared at it in shock. A wail filled the room loud enough to shake the windows. The demon dissolved into dust. Before the sound faded, the blade thudded to the ground and a sweet, charred smell filled the room.

“Thanks.”

Caly smirked, giving her a jaunty salute. “No problem.”

Despite her wound, Brie kicked the blade, sending it spinning back through the air and into the flesh of another demon who tried to sneak up on them.

The two girls grinned as if playing a game; one as bad as the other. “Watch your backs.” Ruman spoke through tightly clenched teeth, snagging the back of a shirt as a demon streaked toward Caly, jerking the creature off its feet and slamming him into the ground.

Caly grunted, and dispatched the small demon in front of her. “I thought that was why you were here.”

Ruman marched toward Caly, ready to wring her neck. A kick sent the demon in front of him sailing through the air. Never once did he take his gaze off her form. Beneath the haze of worry, he saw her as she was born to be.

Each movement was smooth, much like a dancer. She was efficient, no wasted energy. Beauty in motion. Similar to Brie, she easily dispatched the nearest demon. But she was human, she was vulnerable.

In a leap, he tackled a demon that slunk close to the floor, trying to inch up while Caly had her back turned. The demon shifted under him and melted away. Unwilling to give up his prey, Ruman slammed the body hard against the tiles.

The creature shimmered and reformed, shrieking loud enough to ring his ears. Vicious claws struck out. Without a weapon, his only way to kill the creature was by ripping him apart.

Then he saw the metal blade Brie had kicked a few feet in the distance. He stretched, his muscles burned. His fingers touched the pommel, pushing it further away. He grabbed for it again, managing to palm the knife.

Although his flesh didn’t dissolve, the metal withered his hand. He struck fast, praying he had the strength to penetrate the demon’s tough hide.

The blade lodged in the demon’s chest, deep enough to annoy but not kill. The creature hissed, his teeth elongating, snapping at Ruman’s face. Great globs of spit flew, and the rotten breath choked him.

“Need help?” David’s feet came into view.

“I got it.” Ruman twisted the blade, scraping along the ribs before it sank deep, reducing the demon to ash.

With a heavy thump, Ruman hit the ground hard enough to lose his breath. The blade he held clattered next to him. Cradling his hand, Ruman rolled to his back and faced his unexpected ally.

The cavalry has arrived. A movement drew his eye.

“Behind you.” Ruman yanked David’s legs out from under him, barely saving him from being beheaded. Ruman vaulted to his feet. Like the others, the demon looked human enough to pass, but underneath where the rage simmered, Ruman could see the creature’s face waver, contorting with hatred. The body grew round, appearing bloated and waxy, almost like the creature had stood too close to a fire and melted.

Ruman grabbed the creature’s arm and twisted his body, tossing the massive blob over his shoulder. The demon squealed when he landed on the spear David held. In a puff of gray dust, the demon disintegrated. David blinked in surprise, spitting out a mouthful of powder. Ruman extended his hand, silently helping him to his feet.

The second team poured into the building and some of the anxiety that churned in Ruman’s gut eased. The overwhelming odds seemed a little more manageable. He might be able to get Caly out of this alive yet.

Desperate to find her in the commotion, he plunged into the fray. A sharp sting on his arm and a fierce burning jerked him around to face the new threat. Four light lines crossed his upper shoulder. The only thing that prevented the claws from cleaving him down to the bone was Caly.

She stood with her back to him, fighting a djinn three times her size.

Protecting him.

And losing. A particularly nasty blow rocked her back a foot, but she didn’t go down.

The demon looked at him and snarled, sensing his prey was about to be snatched away. Before Ruman could reach him, the image shimmered and contorted in a grotesque display of muscle and bone. A large gray wolf materialized, its fur matted and missing in spots, teeth yellow. From the feral look of the beast, he would guess a ghoul, a malicious species of djinn who normally frequented the Valley of Death and delighted in dining on flesh. One of the few demons who could transform into something else without a host.

The animal’s muscles bunched, those beady eyes aimed at Caly with a single mindedness that wouldn’t be denied. Caly braced herself. Acting instinctively, Ruman leapt forward, taking the brunt of the weight intended to snap Caly’s neck.

Fangs pierce his shoulder, muscles shredded under its powerful jaws. Nausea rose and he gritted his teeth. It was all he could do to contain the creature’s massive claws as the wolf’s teeth tore into his flesh.

In seconds, the ghoul disappeared. Grains of fine powder drifted over him, leaving Ruman clutching air and staring at Caly’s beautiful face. Chest heaving, he sucked in a sharp breath and inhaled a mouthful of bittersweet sand. He hacked, clutching his shoulder as agony tore through him.

“You alright?”

Ruman saw her concern and waved her away. If Caly thought he was injured, she’d try to protect him, even if it cost her.

Caly waved her knife in salute and spun away. The recklessness he feared manifested itself in the way she threw herself into battle without regard for herself.

She was good.

Damn good.

But still only human.

The one called Felicia shifted to a fine mist and gathered over Caly’s head, waiting to strike. She couldn’t be allowed to touch Caly. Nearly indestructible in that form, Ruman scoured his brain for a way to bring her down without harming Caly.

He could flash in and out of the
Between
but his body wasn’t equipped to remain insolvent. He had minutes at most before the pain became intolerable.