Black Rayne Silent Screams

by Yvonne Nicolas

  “What the hell? Who is that?” She almost dropped the sword, but in a flash

  Demetri"s hand was wrapped around hers, keeping the handle of the sword in her

  grasp.

  “Priestess Katsumi, the soul of the blade. Don"t let her go. She is fusing with

  you. Calm your heart rate and zone in on the sensor of the team.”

  As soon as the request left his mouth, the face of the young man appeared in

  the mirror. Dark rustled hair and deep grey eyes. Everything about this guy

  swarmed about in her head—his past, his weaknesses, his strength, his secrets.

  She even knew the name he went by during war.

  “Quest,” she whispered.

  “Good girl,” Demetri extolled softly.

  In the midst of the battle, the Andausian sensor looked around searchingly.

  His brows furrowed, his eyes shifted to silver. With on-point shots to the neck, he

  decapitated three demons as he continued to peer around for the unknown

  presence.

  “He feels you, as you feel him. Once you send the surge to him, it will filter

  throughout the rest of the group. But be gentle, my love. If you send too much, it

  could kill them all.”

  She bristled. “Aw shit. I, I don"t think I"m ready for this, Demetri. I"m

  serious. This is too much.”

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  “You must. They are greatly outnumbered and their spiritual energy is

  waning by the moment. They will not be able to win this battle without your

  help.”

  The pressure was killing her. Demetri and the spirit of the sword had this

  strong faith in her, and the so called force she had within, but she couldn"t see it,

  nor feel it. All she could feel was anxiety.

  “Dammit, this is so messed up,” she sobbed.

  “No, it is not. It is your evolution. As I"ve said before, you won"t go at this

  alone. We are one, remember? Your pain is mine. My force is yours. Just trust me,

  darling.”

  “I am channeling your force, my lady. Hold fast to Lord Demetri and strike the mirror

  with my blade,” Katsumi commanded.

  “Brace yourself. This will be a bit jolting,” Demetri warned.

  He dropped his hand from the handle of the sword then placed both over

  her belly. Searing heat spewed out from his touch and her muscles tightened.

  Spirals of forbidden ecstasy rose within and lapped at her sensitive nerves.

  Gasping in the foul air, she kept the heavy blade leveled with all her might.

  In preparation for the incoming power surge, the Andausian sensor

  stretched his arms out.

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  A jolt of power zipped through her, drawing out a startled yelp. White

  flames erupted from the ceiling. She tilted her head back and watched fire circle

  aggressively. It expanded then formed the shape of a dragon. A violent wind

  rushed through the suite, knocking furniture over, but she and Demetri were glued

  to the floor like statues.

  Roaring, the creature opened it wings and dove into her body. Her back

  arched and her eyes crossed. Deep within the will to take action was there in full

  force.

  “Yes, yes, that"s it, my lady. Strike now!”

  At the command of the mysterious sword, she rear back and swiped the

  blade across the mirror. The reflective glass sliced in two then shattered into a

  thousand shards at her feet.

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  Chapter Eleven

  Battle Angels

  “Quest! What are you doing man?!”

  Steel smashed a demon in the face with the butt of his automatic and

  slammed another"s head through the wall, casting puzzled glances at his friend.

  Frozen where he stood, Quest stared into nothingness with his arms spread.

  Jade did her best to ward off the demons trying to attack him in his motionless

  state, but she could only do so much, especially when their real objective was to

  get her.

  “Lo siento. Qué es este?” Quest murmured through a mental message.

  “Dude, what"s up with Quest? No hablo español,” Spade jested.

  Steel frowned. If the other half of his team were dealing with more demons

  outside than they were battling inside the temple, they were in trouble. Time to

  regroup.

  “Spade, Blaze, Copper, move in! Our boy is stunned. Something"s „bout to go down.” Steel

  commanded.

  “Roger that!”

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  Demolishing demons in his path, Steel advanced toward Quest. “Snap out of

  it, playboy!”

  Suddenly, a steam of light opened in the wall. Demons nearest the beam

  went up in flames. The bright specter coiled into a symbol of a dragon. It expanded

  a line of light along the perimeter of the wall then released a strike like lightning

  directly into Quest"s chest. His body was launched across the corridor into the

  wall.

  “No!”

  Steel started to run toward him then an unknown flood of energy steamed

  rapidly through his being, dropping him to his knee.

  From his peripheral, he saw Jade fall to her knees. Unable to rise to assist his

  sister, he ground his teeth and withstood the intense sensation that engulfed him.

  It momentarily strained his strength, but filled him with such overwhelming

  force he thought he"d have an orgasm right there on the spot. What was only

  seconds felt like hours. The spiritual wave of power seemed like it would pour into

  him forever, but before he could drop the other knee, it stopped.

  Steel scurried to his feet and rushed over to Jade. Wide-eyed and mouth

  agape, she stared up at him when he yanked her up right.

  Delirious chuckling snapped their attention to Quest. Grinning, he pushed

  up from the ground then rattled his head. “Don"t even ask.”

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  “You"re kidding, right?” Spade exclaimed from outside the temple. “Damn that

  dude! I"m asking! What the eff was that?”

  Quest tilted his head toward the howling darkness of the corridor. “No time

  to explain, buey. Break is over. They"re coming back for us.”

  “Not good. Captain, we"re running low on ammo,” Blaze informed. “I know if we"re

  almost out, you guys have to be running low in there. Looks like we"re going to have to start

  blowing things up.”

  “Oh kitty! You are so talking my language!” The excitement in Spade"s voice had

  them all tucking away grins. “When all else fails, blow shit up!”

  “Okay, we"re moving in. They are blocking the bloody entrance so it might be a while,”

  Copper explained.

  “Push through.” Steel ordered. “We have to be together if we"re gonna get out here alive.”

  Ghoulish snarls echoed from the darkness. Shaking off the hazed feeling

  that hung over him, Steel cocked his guns toward the black hall, as did Quest and

  Jade. “And here we go again.”

  “To the main hall!” Quest pointed down the opposite end of the corridor,

  yanking Jade from the path of two anxious demons. “Clear a path!”

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  Nodding, Steel kneeled, one hand and knee on the ground, a running start

  position; something he"d done many times on the football field. “Stay with me! Don"t

  let „em hold you back!”

  Steel bolted down the passageway. Dark creatures were knocked all about

  by his fast-moving, massive frame as he plowed through the infeste
d temple with

  Jade and Quest swift on his heels. Finally, they cleared the barricade of demons

  and made it to the main room of the temple. And it brought them to a screeching

  halt.

  “Jesus H Christ!”

  In her hast, Jade shot past Steel, and instantly regretted it when her eyes fell

  upon the gruesome sight before them.

  Carnage.

  The main hall"s floor was covered in bloody body parts, ghouls and harpies

  feasting on them. She looked away and gagged. On the verge of vomiting, she put a

  hand on her belly and the other on the wall, trying her hardest to will back the

  liquefied bile working its way up her stomach.

  “C"mon baby, keep it together. We"ve seen worse than this,” Quest urged, standing on

  the other side of Steel.

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  In the middle of the carnage, a group of huge demons were huddled around

  something. Her eyes grew wide. The devilish creatures they battled were big and

  burly in size, but these demons were twice their size.

  Gargantuan.

  The heat from Quest"s stare made her look his way. As soon as their eyes

  met, he released a series of shots toward the crowd. Deep squeals and snarls

  erupted from the huddle before they turned and narrowed their green glowing

  eyes at Quest.

  “Hoodey hoo muthafuckas! What ya"ll hiding over there?” he shouted.

  She couldn"t help but stare at him like he"d gone crazy. Why in the world

  would he fire into a group of huge, angry demons when he knew they didn"t have

  enough ammo to defeat them? She glanced up at Steel, expecting him to intervene,

  but shockingly he didn"t.

  One of the creatures broke out of the group and barreled at Quest in full

  demonic speed. It took all three of them releasing furious rounds to bring the

  massive beast down. Once it evaporated, Quest shot at the group again, and this

  time Steel joined in.

  “Are ya"ll mental?” she exclaimed.

  Ignoring her, they continued to fire, causing the annoyed demons to shriek

  and shift around, slightly loosening the huddle.

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  That"s when she saw him.

  Trapped in the center, Father Hamiway swung a long scythe like the true

  holy warrior he was. His robe, stained with a mixture of red and black blood was

  shredded badly. His grey hair, soaked in blood and sweat stuck to his head.

  “Father!” Jade screamed.

  Every demon in the room turned in their direction. Fearful for her Father"s

  life, she started moving toward him. A hand grabbed her upper arm.

  She snapped around to glare at Steel. “Let me go,” she ordered through

  clenched teeth.

  “Jade we can"t go running in there without the rest of the team. As much as I want to go in

  and wipe out those demons and save Father Hamiway, I can"t. You saw how hard it was for us to

  take out one of them. We could only try to give him a little leeway to get out of the huddle.”

  Ignoring reason, Jade made a futile attempt to yank away from his strong

  grasp. “But they"ll kill him if we don"t move now! I will not just stand here and do nothing!”

  “Niomi, stay where you are.”

  The determined look on Father Hamiway"s face, the way he swung his

  weapon—it took her back to the day they met. She was eight years old when a

  band of rogue vampires came through her village in Africa, pillaging and

  slaughtering. They"d raped and killed her family right before they drained her to

  near death. The vampires would"ve surely finished her off if he and his Holy Squad

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  hadn"t shown up. Back then, he"d been just the nice white man who saved her life,

  but now, he was and would always be her father.

  “Father this is crazy. Those things are going to kill you.”

  “Yes, but not before they obtain the amulet.”

  A round of gunfire rang out behind them. “Back up is here and packing a bitchin"

  new trick! Boom baby!”

  Knowing Spade"s new trick involved something explosive, Jade shouted,

  “Incoming!”

  A golden orb flew over their heads, followed by string of grenades. Before

  Jade could freak out, the sphere flattened and fell over Father Hamiway like a

  protective sheet of armor.

  Everybody dropped to the ground. A series of explosions rattled the huge

  temple"s walls and floors. Jade squinted to see through the debris. Father

  Hamiway was crouched inside of Spade"s dome-shaped force field. A pile of black

  bloody mess surrounded him. But she knew better than to assume the battle was

  over.

  “Now Father! Move now, while they"re down!”

  Father Hamiway nodded then ran.

  “Spade, hold that shield!”

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  Some surviving harpies tried to swipe at Father Hamiway. Their hands and

  limbs were burnt off from the divine energy surrounding Spade"s barrier.

  She cut a glance at Spade. To the side of the opening to the main room, he

  held his hand out, glowing gold. Apparently, the jarring energy surge they"d

  experienced had increased his spiritual ability and brought out the true strength of

  his power.

  Out the corner of her eye, she saw Quest spin around and cock his

  automatic toward the darkness. “Three big ones in the rear!”

  Her team members opened fire on the three sets of glowing green eyes

  moving rapidly toward them. Copper and Blaze were flung into the air.

  The screams of her female comrades, compelled Jade to take action. “Noo! ”

  Her arms raised on their own accord. An unfamiliar surge of power zipped

  through her body and emitted through her hands, sending the demons crashing

  through the wall.

  Stunned, she stared ahead, unable to move. She felt the force building

  within her, fusing with her spirit. She glanced down at her trembling hands then

  looked up at her teammates, who gaped at her, wide-eyed, in awe.

  All her life, she"d been able to move objects with her mind, but never living

  beings, let alone three massive demons. “My God,” she whispered.

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  A hand dropped on her shoulder. She whipped around. Father Hamiway

  stood before her, a weak, yet proud smile on his face. His bright grey eyes were

  glassy and his usually peachy complexion was now pale.

  “She has fused with you,” he strained out. “Everything is happening as it

  should.”

  “Father…” Worried, she looked into his colorless face. “Are you—” Her

  attention was suddenly drawn to the ground. They were standing in a puddle of

  blood. His blood. “Oh God, no!”

  His eyes rolled back and he fell into her arms. The weight pushed her back

  against the wall. “No, please God, no!” She held onto him, allowing the bulk of his

  body to drag her to the floor. The team formed a semi circle around them to ward

  off the demons. “Father, please don"t die!”

  “I was dead…before you arrived…my precious, Niomi.” With his heavy

  breaths, his chest rose and fell as he fought to hang on to the last strands of life.

  “No, don"t say that! Don"t say that!” She ripped through the tattered shreds

  of his robe, searching for the source of his blood loss. “You will not die! I won"t let

  you!” She got to his torso, tore the robe completely open and found the
fatal

  injury—a big, gaping hole right in the center of his stomach.

  Jade ripped the goggles from her head, slid from beneath him and placed her

  hands over the wound. His blood pumped rapidly through her fingers.

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  Tears rolled down her cheeks and pain stabbed her heart. Even if they were

  somehow able to get him to a hospital, they wouldn"t be able to save him. He

  would die.

  “They, they came up…from hell…and ambushed us.” He coughed, splattering

  her with blood. She pulled him closer and pressed his head against her breasts, her

  tears spilling onto his bloody face. “They somehow…they knew that…the

  amulet…was here. How? How did they know that?”

  “Stop trying to talk, Father. Save your energy.” She ripped her sleeve from

  her arm, balled it up along with the tattered strips of his robe, and pressed it into

  his furiously bleeding wound.

  “There is no need for you to try to stop the bleeding, Niomi. This is the end for me. I have

  done my part.” He pulled her hands from his wound and then slipped something into

  them. “I don"t have much time.” Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth. “So you must

  listen very carefully.”

  Her vision blurred. Her chest became tight, so tight she could hardly

  breathe. The gunfire from her team and angry demon snarls blended into

  nothingness. Again, her father was being taken away from her.

  Father Hamiway squeezed her hand. “I need you to be strong for me, my beautiful

  daughter. You must stay focused.”

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  She shook her head violently. “No! I can"t, I can"t do this without you. Please, don"t

  leave me father. I will die without you.”

  A sad smile crossed his face, tears pooled in his weakened eyes. “My soul will

  never leave you, Niomi.” He pressed her clutched hands to his heart. “Never. I will always

  be with you.” With his bloodied hand, he wiped the tears from her face. “There"s

  something very important I need you to do for me. The jewel you hold in your hand is a sacred

  amulet. Secure it and guard it with your life.”

  Sobbing, she nodded and slipped it in her side pocket.

  “You must not let them obtain it. Her identity must stay hidden until she has fully shifted.