by Shona Husk
Most people didn’t hear the voice of their goddess. And if he said that to the wrong people, he’d wind up on medication.
“It will be easier to contain him as one entity than two. Plus, human bodies aren’t made to hold demons. The more power he draws the faster he will burn out, and Cory will hopefully spontaneously combust.”
“He’s going to burn?” Rachel stopped as if her feet had become glued to the sidewalk.
Noah turned. “That’s what demons do once they get possession of a body.”
“Won’t that hurt?”
“Probably less than getting your limbs ripped off.” He touched her arm. “I said I won’t kill, I never said I won’t let the demon kill him.” He knew it was a very fine line between the two, and if push came to shove, he would kill Cory before he let him hurt Rachel.
They crossed the road towards a man with a black beanie pulled down low. He looked like he was wearing last week’s clothes and carried a plastic shopping bag. Noah walked straight toward him. When Rachel started to hang back, Noah slung an arm over her shoulder.
“Stay close. Cory is hot on our trail and I don’t have long to set up.” Noah nodded at the man, Sawyer doing his best chameleon. “Got it?”
Rachel nodded.
“Yeah, follow me. I’ve already had a look around,” Sawyer said, his voice low.
“Security?” That was Noah’s biggest concern. He didn’t want people seeing what they were doing as they’d have to come up with some rational explanation that ended up with him being accused of murder.
“Nil. Cameras have been out for a while. No guards. Place has been used as shelter, but there’s no one in there now.” That was welcome news.
Rachel glanced at him. “Where are we going?”
“Empty building. I don’t want collateral.” Or people watching.
“Oskar is going to shield the whole place just in case. The plan is about as tight as it can be without dragging everyone in.”
“It’s just us?” Rachel’s steps faltered.
“Yes, there’s no point in the whole coven being there if it all goes tits up,” Sawyer replied with his usual tact.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Noah said without any humor.
“You ever done this before?” Sawyer stopped walking.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t do it.” He had to. Failure meant death for his friends and his lover. He drew her closer a fraction, hoping that she still believed he could pull off magic like he’d never done before.
He and Rachel followed Sawyer through a hole in a chain-link fence and walked toward a building that had once been used as a factory or storage. Now the windows were broken and blank and the there was an air of hopelessness about it. It couldn’t be salvaged, only condemned, but no one had even bought the site. A real estate sign was stuck in the ground, covered in graffiti and lopsided. Maybe someone would want the site after the building was demolished.
They went inside. The smell of dank water and rats and rubbish swept through on the breeze. All those broken windows provided plenty of ventilation, and yet there was the unmistakable scent of urine.
“Nice.” Rachel wrinkled up her nose.
“It’s perfect for what we want.” Noah tapped the concrete floor, then looked up at the half-collapsed, wooden second floor. “At least if it burns it won’t go up too fast.”
“Nah, concrete should contain it…” Sawyer frowned. “How hot do demons burn a body?”
“Never checked, usually nothing more than a small pile of ash left, though.”
Sawyer gave a whistle. “That’s pretty hot.”
Rachel glanced around the ruined shell of a building. “Where do you want me?”
Noah looked at Rachel. It felt as though he’d known her for far longer than a few days, maybe because they’d been through so much and shared so much in that time. He wanted her wherever he was. He took her hand. “You’re already where you need to be.” Then he leaned in and kissed her.
Sawyer turned away, but Noah knew he’d hear about it later. As long as there was a later, he didn’t care, and there wouldn’t be too long to wait. The demon string on his wrist was warming. He had to get moving so he was ready. “I need to do some things. Where’s Oskar?”
Sawyer inclined his head to the other side of the building. “Out of sight. Ready to raise the circle once Cory is inside.”
Noah nodded. Tension tightened in his gut. While he acknowledged it was there, he didn’t stop to give it space to grow. He took the bag from Sawyer and pulled out a tin of shellac. With a little force of will, he popped it open then found a clear area on the floor that was about three yards wide. Then he walked clockwise, pouring the shellac onto the ground. He felt the combustible nature of it, familiarized himself with the smell and texture of the liquid. It would take hours to dry, and until it was dry he could light it. He finished drawing the circle but didn’t put any power into making it anything more than a painted circle.
Only once Cory and his demon stepped inside would he snap it shut, then he’d light it.
The skin on his wrist was hot now, just this side of uncomfortable. Cory was in the neighborhood and drawing closer. It wouldn’t be long now.
“I think we’ve got ten minutes. Ready Sawyer?”
He nodded. While Noah had been drawing the circle, Sawyer had been setting up a few mirror tiles that would act as a bit of a distraction. “I don’t know how well they’ll work on a demon, but they fool humans all the time.”
It was a gamble, but he’d take anything that bought him a few more minutes to goad Cory into taking in his demon. His plan was basically to enrage Cory and then trap and poke him further. There were so many ways it could go wrong…and yet if it all went as planned… He held that thought for a moment and was sure he could smell the smoldering remains of the building and feel the lingering heat from the fire on his skin.
“Sawyer, stay with her.” He pointed to the rear of the building. If Cory came through, he wanted Rachel away from the door and out of the way. He had one last-minute phone call to make.
He waited until they got out of earshot then dialed. His uncle picked up after two rings. “You’re in trouble this time.”
“Nothing I can’t handle. I, er, I just wanted to ring anyway.” This was definitely not a good bye; he just wanted an extra god on his side.
“You want to make a confession?”
“I would be here all night if I started. Just say a prayer for me and I’ll tell you what I discovered tomorrow.”
“You have your solution then.”
“Less solution and more an explanation. I know why and I have been released from my vow.” While he’d have loved to write it all down in an email, some things shouldn’t be written down and sent into cyber space. The coven was big on paper files that could be destroyed, and also heavily encrypted laptops—his database would erase itself if someone tried to hack into it.
“Stay safe and I’ll keep you in my thoughts tonight.” David paused. “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Good luck, Noah.”
Noah felt the shimmer of magic touching him just before his uncle hung up. He was sure David knew that he was about to end a life, but bloodshed couldn’t be avoided in battle, and only death could remove a demon from the world.
Rachel turned her back on Sawyer, who was looking more like a criminal than the last time she’d seen him. She always felt like she should be checking to make sure she still had her wallet in her bag when she was around him. Of course, her hand bag was in the hotel room, along with Noah’s laptop. All they had were some low-denomination notes shoved into the pockets of their jeans.
If she died, would they even be able to identify her?
Her stomach cramped. She needed to pee. No, that was just nerves. She was not going to fall apart in front of Sawyer and Noah; when she was by herself she could cry and shake all she wanted.
Something scuttled in the dark corner. Rats? Were they preparing to
run? She wanted to run and never stop. Standing and fighting was for brave people, she wasn’t brave. She was a coward who’d paid someone else to deal with her problem. If she had any guts, she’d have bought a gun and done it herself. The result would be the same—Cory dead and the demon gone. This way she was putting three other lives on the line.
Three witches. Warrior witches, and they weren’t going to let anything happen that wasn’t in the plan. She paced a little and watched Noah on the phone. He kept it short and to the point and she wondered who he was calling. He hadn’t really spoken about his family. Perhaps after Louise they had washed their hands of him—another reason for him to come to New York. Like her, he’d been running when he’d first arrived, but now he’d made a life here…could she?
She couldn’t imagine herself living in Liberty again, and not just because of the gossip. The world was far bigger than she’d thought. While she knew plenty of people never left their home town, she wanted to do more, see more, and discover what else was out there.
Whatever happened tonight, she was no longer bound to Liberty or Cory. The weight fell away and she smiled.
Rachel turned back to face Sawyer. “Do you do this often?”
“Fight demons? No. Make things disappear?” He pulled some small square mirror tiles out of his pocket. “All the time.”
“What are they for?”
“I’m going to make it harder for Cory to pinpoint your location in the building.” He handed one to her, even though she wasn’t sure what to do with it.
Noah walked over to the doorway and took a look outside. “I can’t see him yet, but he’s close.”
How close? Was he sneaking around the building to surprise them? She fisted her hand around the mirror tile, felt the corners pressing into her palm.
Sawyer placed a couple more tiles and adjusted the location of a couple of others, as if the pattern was key to his part of the plan. “I’m done, if you’d like to get into position.”
Noah hesitated. “I still can’t see him.”
“We should get the illusion up, be ready,” Sawyer said.
Being ready sounded like a good idea. As she breathed in the cool evening air, anxiety gripping her, she realized that she was ready for this to be over. She wanted to live again—her way. She gave the mirror a squeeze. She may not be able to do magic, but she could believe in it, and Noah, with all of her heart.
Noah swore and started walking towards her nice, dark, rat-infested corner. The corner on the other side of the building was lit by the streetlight. As he walked over, he raised one hand and pointed at the street light. It obligingly died, leaving everything in dusky gloom. Not quite night, but not daylight, either. She was caught in a creepy twilight world where normal didn’t exist. She could never go back to normal.
Noah put his hand over hers. His face was grim and hard in the shadows. “I will not let him get you.”
She nodded. Noah would die first, but she didn’t want that, either. With her free hand, she gave him a hug; she never wanted to let him go.
He glanced over his shoulder to where Sawyer was sitting on the other side, little more than a shadow. “Get part one up; my wrist is burning.”
In the middle of the circle Noah had painted, there was a flicker, then she and Noah were there. Except they weren’t. They were still in the dark corner. He touched her cheek and the Noah in the middle of the circle touched her cheek.
Her breath eased out in a long sigh. That was an impressive illusion.
“Look at me. When Cory walks through that door all he’s going to see is you and me, that you and me. Whatever happens tonight, I want you to know that I’m glad I met you and that I wouldn’t change anything.”
“Except the demon part.”
“Yeah, it would be nice to know you when we aren’t trying to find a way to survive.” He cupped her cheek and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I love you.”
For a moment her mouth was frozen. He’d said he loved her. It was the fear talking, except he didn’t seem afraid and it didn’t feel like a good-bye kiss—more of a promise for something later.
He loved her. That wasn’t possible, not after just a few days, and yet, if he died, there’d be a huge hole carved in her heart. She’d miss him and all the things they hadn’t done. “I love you, too,” she murmured against his lips.
A snarl of rage filled the building. Cory. She wanted to turn and see where he was, how close he was.
“Look at me, not at him.” Noah’s voice was soft, but it was unmistakably an order. This was a job and he was working.
“Get your hands off my wife.” Cory took a couple of steps forward.
Noah ran his hand up her back and drew her closer, his kiss becoming more impersonal. He might be kissing her but he was watching Cory, the way he’d angled them gave him a perfect view. One of his hands moved and she had the impression that Noah was flipping the bird at Cory.
“Make me.” He drew back. “Besides, I think she likes me more.” He brushed his lips over her ear as though he was whispering something loving. “I don’t think you are man enough to keep her.”
Something rippled in the air. She turned her head and saw Cory and his shadow…except there wasn’t enough light to make a shadow that dark and solid, and the shadow seemed to move on its own, sliding closer.
Noah swallowed. “Come on.” It was murmured like a prayer. She realized he couldn’t fight a man and a demon on two separate fronts. He needed Cory to take his demon in to be able to fight him. And it needed to happen before Cory touched the illusion in the circle and discovered it wasn’t real.
She turned in Noah’s arms, keeping him at her back, and faced the man she wished she’d never married, never kissed, never met. Cory’s gaze was firmly on the illusion in the middle of the circle. Rage blinded him to everything except the illusion of her.
But once again he wasn’t actually seeing her, just what he wanted to see—an unfaithful wife that was making him look bad.
“She’s mine and I will destroy you and take her home.” Cory fisted his hands.
With Noah’s arms around her, she found her voice. “And what? Keep me prisoner? I don’t want you. I don’t love you.”
The shadow crept forward, moving toward the couple in the center of the circle. Its clawed hands stretched forward, then it hesitated as if confused. Cory kept arguing. “You will. You will beg me.”
“Never. I would rather die first.” Did he really think he could keep her like a slave and make her love him? The demon seemed to have stripped all logic from his mind, and now Cory was like a two-year-old who wanted its toy back.
Cory laughed. “And your boyfriend?”
The demon-shadow wavered and circled the illusion-couple. Rachel was sure it had realized they weren’t real. If Cory didn’t join it in the circle, Noah wouldn’t be able to trap them…and Cory hadn’t taken in his demon yet. Was this really going to work? Noah gave her hand a squeeze. The mirror tile was still in her now-sweaty grip. Magic was as real as the mirror. She had to hold onto that thought.
“You’re just a bully. You’re used to getting your own way and forcing people to comply. It must have really burned you up when Rachel asked for a divorce. You couldn’t keep your own wife happy.” Noah’s voice had taken on a different tone, the push of power brushed over her skin. Magic was building all around her.
“If you leave her to me I might let you live.” Cory flexed his fingers and crossed into the circle made of slowly drying shellac. He glanced down as if noticing it for the first time, his gaze tracking around the circle. The demon reared up but it was too late.
Noah moved his hand, as if flicking away a bug, and there was a small pop.
The demon rushed the painted circle, but couldn’t break free. Noah had trapped it. It twisted around and smothered the illusion, growling when it found nothing to grab, tearing at the air.
“What the fuck?” Cory charged at the illusion and landed on his face as it disintegrated.
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br /> “You have a demon that could kill me, so I’m taking precautions. Give it up and we can all walk away.”
He laughed as he stood, then he turned around, searching the building for where they were actually standing. She held her breath, willing him not to see her.
“You’re scared of me?” Cory grinned, all teeth.
Yes, she was. A circle didn’t seem like enough protection—Cory could just step over it, and what then? She almost couldn’t hear the conversation over the pounding of her heart.
“Nah, you know how many demons I’ve killed in the last four years? I think I’ve killed more people than you. I know about Robert, Rachel’s first lover, and I know about the divorce lawyer. You killed them both because you couldn’t stomach the idea that she had been with anyone else.” He brushed his fingers over her neck. “She ever worn stilettos in bed for you?”
Her cheeks heated. She was going to kill him.
Cory growled and the demon roared; it was growing darker and more defined. Solid, as though it was alive and sucking up every shadow in the building. Even if Cory got out, the demon was trapped—wasn’t it? She glanced at Noah, but he wasn’t looking at her, his gaze was on Cory.
Noah lifted both his hands. “Now.”
Twenty illusionary couples appeared all around the room. Even though she’d expected it, it was still impressive. No smoke, all mirrors. Yet her heart was still beating too fast. Were they hiding deep enough in the shadows?
Cory spun, as if trying to work out what was real. Then he started marching toward the edge of the circle—not toward them, but it didn’t matter, he’d eventually work out where they were. “You’re a dead man. I will find you and pull you apart. And I’ll make her watch.”
“I’d like to see you try.” Noah took a breath and the shellac lit up.
Not a small flame, these were waist high. How much was magic and illusion and how much was real flame? She wouldn’t be game enough to risk finding out. Would Cory?
In the flickering firelight, Cory stepped back from the heat, his demon loomed large around him. “They will be picking pieces of you off the walls for a week,” he roared.