Demon Kissed: Book 2 of the Venandi Chronicles (An Urban Paranormal Romance Series)

by Sara Snow

  Jacob led me out of the grove and into the park. I had no memory of being taken here, but I did remember the demon who abducted me and the ruse that he’d used to get me here. My father—if Paimon really was my father—would stop at nothing to get me back.

  And I didn’t have the strength to fight my father alone.

  4

  Carter

  I spent the evening pacing back and forth in the training room. I tried shooting pool with Eli and Jose, but I couldn’t stay focused on the game. Not with Georgia out there in the middle of nowhere. Kingston wouldn’t let Jose tell me where she was, and that was probably just as well.

  Although I didn’t agree with Kingston cutting me out of this mission, I respected my old friend too much to go against his wishes.

  It was Jose who told me that they were coming back.

  “Hey, Carter! Georgia’s safe!” he shouted, running into the training room. “They’re on their way home.”

  I’ve always had a soft spot for Jose. He’d been disowned by his father as a child when his psychic abilities were discovered, and that rejection had left him with a wound in his heart. Like the younger brother I never had, he looked to me for guidance. His trust meant a lot to a corrupted half-vamp like me.

  “Don’t let her run off by herself again,” Jose warned. “She’s not safe out there. She could have been dead meat tonight.”

  As if I didn’t know.

  I would never forgive myself for letting Georgia walk out of the warehouse. Jose couldn’t have known that he was rubbing salt in my wound.

  “Don’t worry, Jose. I won’t let her out of my sight if I can help it. Who’s the lucky guy who got to save her, by the way?”

  “Kingston told me not to say anything.”

  Jose’s sheepish look annoyed me. What did they think I was going to do, throw a hissy fit?

  “Look, you can tell me now. The mission is over, and Georgia’s safe. Who’s bringing her home?”

  Jose hesitated a moment, then he spilled the beans. “It was Jacob. He shot the demon with a bow and arrow.”

  So, Kingston’s son was in on this now. I couldn’t blame Kingston for choosing Jacob to rescue Georgia. He had a deadly aim with that bow and arrow, and I had to admit it was the perfect weapon for a site that might be crowded and with a victim who was in immediate danger.

  But I didn’t like the idea of Jacob playing the hero. The kid was twenty-six years old, which was way too young for that role in my opinion.

  Oh, be honest with yourself. Jacob is too good-looking and too buff, and you don’t want his hands on Georgia.

  “Well, good for Jacob. That’s one less demon we have to worry about, right?”

  Jose’s brown eyes clouded over. “Yeah. But there are a lot more of them, Carter. They’re all over Chicago now, and they’re getting stronger. I get messages from them in my sleep.”

  “Really. What kind of messages?” I asked warily. I didn’t like the image that Jose was painting for me—legions of demons massing in the shadows, waiting for their moment to gain the power they believed they deserved.

  He shook his head. “I don’t understand a lot of it. They speak in different languages. Latin and a few others. When they speak English, they tell me they’ll outnumber us mortals soon.”

  “That doesn’t sound good,” I said. It was the understatement of the century. “Don’t worry. We’re stronger than they are. We have good on our side.”

  Jose gave me a half-hearted smile. I was downplaying the threat, and he knew it.

  I heard the front door of the warehouse open. A burst of jubilant shouting followed. Jose and I ran to the door to find Kingston, Eli, and Olympia greeting Georgia and Jacob, who was now the conquering hero.

  The cambion looked like she’d been through a world war. She wore a brown leather flight jacket that was several sizes too big for her. Her cheeks were streaked with ashes, and her hair was matted and full of leaves. I could see those amazing purple eyes gleaming through the dark tangles. I stood back and let Olympia take Georgia in her arms. Over Olympia’s shoulder, Georgia gave me a wary look, like a stray dog confronting a human who’d hurt her once before.

  That look struck me like a blow to the heart. I couldn’t believe I’d let her go off alone. I could have swallowed my pride and groveled. I could have begged her to stay. But I’d let her walk out of the warehouse, and I hadn’t bothered to follow her. I hadn’t even gone to check on her until she’d been gone for several hours—and by then it was too late.

  How can I make it up to you? Will you ever forgive me?

  “Tell us what happened,” Olympia said to Georgia, brushing the hair back from her face.

  Georgia took a deep breath, then let it go.

  “Where do I start? I went back to my apartment, where I was abducted by a demon pretending to be a cop. He drove me to a park, tied me up, and threatened to cut my heart out if I didn’t swear allegiance to Paimon, who’s supposedly my father. The alternative was to let him brand me with a big letter P—great option, right? But before he could do that, Jacob showed up and killed him with his bow and arrow.”

  Georgia looked drained. Her story had come out in a single rush, as if she couldn’t wait to get the whole night over with. But here was Eli, clapping Jacob on the shoulder, and Olympia applauding as if the guy had saved the entire planet. Kingston and Eli gathered around Jacob to hear his side of the story while I hung back with Olympia and Georgia.

  I would have been there for her, too, if Kingston had given me the chance.

  “Georgia, could I talk to you for a moment?” I asked.

  Olympia tossed her blonde curls and gave me a haughty look. “She doesn’t want to talk anymore. She’s already told us what happened.” Olympia wrapped one arm protectively around Georgia, a gesture I found infuriating.

  “I can speak for myself, Olympia,” Georgia said. “I’ll talk to him.”

  Olympia sniffed in disapproval, but she backed off, leaving Georgia and me to stand at a distance from the rest of the group.

  “Can we go somewhere to talk? Somewhere quiet?” I asked softly. I tried to reach for Georgia’s hand, but she took a step back.

  “We can talk here,” she said.

  Even though she was clearly exhausted, Georgia’s body emitted an energy that electrified the space between us. Was that a sign of her growing power? Or did we still have a connection that drew us together?

  “I want to tell you that I’m sorry,” I began, but Georgia started speaking at the same time.

  “You were right when you told me not to leave,” she said. Her violet eyes were enormous, their light so clear and pure that I knew she was speaking from her soul.

  I’ve never wanted to touch a woman so badly. Not out of lust, although there was no doubt that I wanted her, but out of a desire to be as close to her as possible.

  Fuck it. I’m going to hold her. I won’t let her back away this time.

  I was just about to take Georgia in my arms when Eli let out a whoop.

  “Let’s have a round of drinks!” he shouted. “One more demon down the tubes!”

  I looked at Georgia, but suddenly she wouldn’t meet my gaze.

  “Before we celebrate, I need to talk to all of you, especially Georgia and Jacob,” Kingston said. “Georgia is new to our world, and Jacob needs to be brought up to date. Shall we all go upstairs?”

  Kingston turned to smile at me before he led Georgia down the hall. I could see in that smile that he understood what I was going through, but it didn’t make my humiliation any easier to bear. I lagged behind as we all went up to the game room.

  Eli seemed to sense my dark mood, and he threw his arm around my shoulder in a brotherly gesture. After a demon killed his wife and son, Eli Nash had committed himself to a life of slaying demons with the Venandi. He had been with the team for a long time, and though he didn’t have any supernatural powers, he was strong as a bull and fierce as a mountain lion.

  “I’m not gonna ask
you to smile, Carter,” Eli said. “But you could at least try to lighten up that scowl.”

  He grinned at me, flashing the scar that ran down his cheek. Eli had been through more than a few battles in his lifetime, and he’d lived through his own personal hell. He was a true warrior, and I would trust him with my life.

  But tonight, I couldn’t trust Eli to cheer me up. Nothing was going to shake me out of my dismal mood.

  In the game room, Kingston went to the bar and poured us a round of drinks from one of his precious bottles of whiskey. Then, he raised his glass in a toast to Jacob.

  “To my son. A warrior at heart, an angel in spirit, and now the savior of the newest member of our team.”

  “Hear, hear!” Eli shouted.

  Jacob looked down at his shot, his face red with embarrassment. “Don’t be a dork, Dad,” he said, but he sounded proud. He deserved to be proud. But I still refused to like him.

  I downed my shot with the rest of them, the whiskey burning my throat. My pride ached like a throbbing wound when I thought of why we were all sitting here.

  “Does this mean you’ll be joining us?” Eli asked. “I feel another inductio coming on.”

  “What’s an inductio?” Jacob asked. “Sounds like a bad case of gas.”

  “You’re not too far off. Basically, when a new member officially joins us, we all get shit-faced and go out and slaughter a few minor demons to celebrate the occasion,” Eli said. He took over as bartender and poured us all another round. Kingston raised his glass again.

  “And to my oldest friend, the one who brought the Venandi back to life.” He held up the glass in my direction.

  “Good of you to remember,” I muttered.

  Kingston overlooked my snarky remark. He turned to Georgia, who had taken a seat next to Olympia at the end of the bar. Georgia had taken a token sip from her glass, but the rest of her shot sat untouched.

  “Georgia, I know there’s a lot we haven’t told you yet. I joined forces with Carter years ago. In my eyes, our hunting began as a way to slay our own demons, the ones that kept us from achieving our full potential. But as our team grew, so did our purpose and our goals.”

  Eli and Olympia cheered, but Kingston’s face grew serious.

  “All celebration aside, I need to talk to all of you about the threat we’re facing. Between Jose’s visions and my research, I’ve learned a lot about what the demons are planning. In the past, the demon realm has been loosely organized at best. They’ve operated as a random crowd of evil thugs, wreaking havoc on mortal lives whenever they can. But now, they have a purpose. And they have a leader.”

  “Paimon,” I said. “Let’s drink to King Paimon, shall we? After all, he’s responsible for Georgia—the girl we’ve all come to love.”

  Nobody joined me when I poured myself a third shot and knocked it back.

  “Yes, Carter. You’re right. King Paimon is forming an army of demons that call themselves the Tenebris. There are two other kings, Abalam and Bebal, who act as Paimon’s assistants. These three are not your typical underworld thugs—these are a more sophisticated breed of demons higher up in the ranks. They’re the royalty of the Daemonium mundi.”

  “Do you mind speaking English, Dad? For those of us who don’t spend all our free time reading tomes in ancient languages?” Jacob looked pained.

  “The Daemonium mundi is the demon realm. They have their own hierarchy, and Paimon is right up there at the top, second only to Lucifer and his brood. Paimon wants to change the image of the dark beings, to make them alluring, enviable.”

  “As opposed to being a bunch of repulsive, evil monsters,” Olympia interjected.

  “Paimon and the Tenebris have a plan to bring the mortal realm to its knees, starting with Chicago and moving on to the rest of the country and, eventually, the world.”

  “How are they planning to pull that off?” Eli asked.

  “We don’t know the specifics of the plan, but it won’t be long till we find out,” Kingston warned. “Jose’s dreams are getting more vivid all the time. He’s pulling words and phrases out of his dreams, and it’s only a matter of time until those words form prophecies.”

  “Where does Georgia figure into all this?” Jacob asked.

  The kid’s already obsessed. One encounter with Georgia, and he can’t get her out of his mind.

  Georgia spoke up. “That’s exactly what I want to know. What does all of this have to do with me? If Paimon is really my father, why is he coming after me now, after all this time? And how does he think he’s going to get me?”

  “With your strength on his side, Paimon will be much more powerful,” Kingston said. “He’s already sent his minions to try to capture you by force, but he’ll also try to appeal to your heart. He’ll present himself as your long-lost father, hoping to touch the part of you that grew up without parents.”

  “Right,” Jacob scoffed. “Who would want a father like that?”

  “Listen, Jacob,” I broke in. “Georgia grew up being shuttled from one foster hell to another. She had a series of shitty, so-called guardians who abused and neglected her. Who wouldn’t want a big, strong father after a childhood like that?” My voice rose to a shout as I confronted the whole team. “From the second Georgia showed up at the warehouse, none of us thought about how she felt. All of us betrayed her by not telling her she was a cambion! Not just me!”

  My outburst shocked the others into silence. Georgia stared at me, her face as white as a ghost. Olympia gripped the edge of the bar, as if she wasn’t sure whether to run or to jump up and slap me.

  Without bothering to ask if any of them wanted a refill, I topped my own glass with whiskey. The booze was going to my head. Bitter accusations formed at the tip of my tongue, and it would only take another shot or two for me to start spewing them out.

  “You’re right, Carter,” Kingston said evenly. Then he faced Georgia again. “We weren’t honest with you. That’s why I wanted you to join us tonight, even though you’d probably be better off sleeping right now. You need to know what we’re really facing here—the sooner, the better. We need you on our side.”

  “After what I went through tonight,” Georgia said, looking over at Jacob, “you’ve got me.”

  I stood up, somewhat shakily, and slammed my empty glass down on the bar.

  “What about what Georgia needs? This is about her. Not just about us.”

  “Agreed,” Kingston said. “But I know you see the urgency of our situation, Carter.”

  I only see the urgency of wanting her more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my life.

  Thankfully, I was still sober enough not to say that out loud.

  “It’s time for me to turn in,” I said. “We’ll finish this conversation later, Kingston.”

  Before I picked up the last of my dignity and went to bed, I shot Jacob an evil glare that would have made my vampire ancestors proud. If that kid thought he was going to win Georgia over, he had a hell of a battle waiting for him.

  5

  Georgia

  When I woke, the first thing I noticed was that everything hurt. Even my eyelids, when I opened them, seemed to ache. My miraculous healing powers were apparently on the blink, because I should have recovered from last night’s attack by now.

  I rolled over in bed—the comfy twin bed that had been mine since the first night I slept at the warehouse—and pulled the blankets over my head. Sunlight was not my friend today. I would have loved to go back to sleep for about twelve more hours, but Kingston had said he needed to talk to me as soon as I woke up.

  I assumed he hadn’t expected me to sleep until four in the afternoon.

  It’s been less than forty-eight hours since I walked away from Carter, declaring that I’d be better off on my own. But it seemed like much longer. The kidnapping had scared me more than anything in my life. All the other demon attacks seemed like playdates in comparison, maybe because I had always had the team to back me up.

  Last night, wh
en I lay underneath that demon and saw the brutal hunger in his eyes, I felt a terror unlike anything I’d ever known. Even as a foster child, when I knew I was going to be beaten or left abandoned somewhere by a parent who didn’t give a shit about me, I had always been able to detach myself from the fear. I’d learned a simple trick from a girl in one of those homes, and it had worked for me every time.

  Just pretend you’re leaving your body and floating up above their heads, laughing down at them from Heaven while you watch them burn in Hell.

  Back then, I always knew that the adults who abused me were weak. They were bullies, picking on me because they were afraid themselves. Not that I sympathized with them or forgave them for what they did, but I could tell by the desperation in their eyes that they were trying to transfer their fear to me.

  That demon in the park was way more than a bully. He was a monster. And he didn’t just want to abduct my body—he wanted to take my soul and hand it over as an offering to some demon who claimed to be my father.

  It was all too weird to comprehend, yet that weirdness was becoming my reality.

  Oh, boy, Kingston. Do I have questions for you.

  I dragged the covers off my aching body and hobbled to the bathroom. I looked like death warmed over, with my chalky face peering out from under a mop of matted black hair. I must have kept my ability to heal quickly after all, because the demon had clocked me a few times in the car and any normal woman would look like a bruised banana right now.

  A hot shower made me feel almost human—or half-human. The steam soothed my muscles, and the falling water calmed my mind. As I lathered my body with soap, Carter’s dark stare came to my mind.

  When we’d faced each other in the hallway last night, I had felt a current connecting us, an energy that flared and crackled. I didn’t know if that current came from my desire to have him hold me, or my desire to kick him in the nuts, or both, but it was strong enough to hold me fixed by his gaze.