“Enjoying the general splendor?” A man asked, startling me. I’d been so engrossed in my mission I hadn’t heard him approach.
I turned quickly, taking him in and was stunned by what I saw. The man was well into his fifties, judging by the clusters of lines on his face. He had a well-trimmed beard which was more gray than dark brown. But, it was his body that threw me. He was incredibly fit for a man of his age. His taut muscles bulged against the dark forest green business suit. Swap his suit for red and he’d look like a woman’s fantasy version of a sexy Santa.
“Excuse me?”
He smiled, as if finding my confusion amusing.
“I simply mean, you’re staring so hard at the ice. Are you trying to melt it?”
My brow knitted as I stared at the handsome stranger. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to flirt with me, because there was an uneasy vibe radiating from him telling me to back away slowly.
“I’m watching my kids,” I stated turning back to face the ice. I caught Grayson watching me. Noticing my body’s tension, he grabbed Mathew into his arms and was slowly making his way through the crowd toward me.
“Kids? So, you have more than one?”
Normally I’d have no issue with someone trying to make conversation, but the stranger, for some unknown reason, had unsettled me. He’d done nothing to make me feel such a way, but something told me not to tell him about the kids. Perhaps it was Sebastian’s warning, but it felt like it was more.
I turned, eyeing the man again. He smelled oddly, of peppermint and something even my vampire senses were struggling to identify. Was it…? I inhaled again. Sulfur.
Warning bells sounded in my mind as the scent jolted a memory I had long ago forced away. Demon.
“Krampus,” I hissed, causing the man to beam.
“You’re smarter than I gave you credit for. I was told you were a sucker for a pretty face, what with your husband’s extraordinary looks,” he glanced past me toward Grayson, who was quickly approaching, but the ice skaters seemed oblivious to his urgency and continued to block his way. “And your angel lover’s unearthly physique, yet you saw right past me.” He leaned in closer to me, the sulfurous stench grew even stronger. I wanted to back away, but I refused to move. I would not give him the satisfaction. “Tell me, what gave me away?”
“Your persistence.”
He smiled crookedly and shrugged. “Well, I had to keep you distracted.”
“Distracted?”
His smile turned mischievous before glancing at the hoard of people behind me. “Will you look at that? It seems one of your offspring has vanished.”
I spun to face the crowd, quickly scanning and assessing. Grayson had Matt. Ian was across the rink being idolized for his skills by some kids his age. Charlie was… I scanned the rink again. Where was Charlie?
“Merry Christmas, Gabriella.”
I turned back to face Krampus, but he had vanished.
“Gaby?” Grayson asked seeing my panicked expression.
“Charlie!” I yelled. “Where’s Charlie?”
Chapter 6
Grayson clung to Matt as he turned back to the rink, scanning the crowd for our middle boy. The people around us carried on, unaware of the panic we were feeling.
“Missing something?”
I turned to face the source of the voice, and Sebastian’s pinched expression caught my eye, but I ignored it, focusing entirely on my son in his arms.
“Charlie,” I breathed, grabbing the boy from the angel and holding him to me with such intensity I worried I might break him.
“I found him trying to buy a pretzel.”
Damien appeared at my side a moment later. “My apologies, Gabriella. Johnathan took his eyes off Charles for a moment to give a man the time.”
“It’s fine.” I waved him off, feeling grateful simply to have my son. I didn’t care who was to blame for his momentary disappearance. Charlie was safe, and that was all that mattered to me.
“No, it’s not fine,” Sebastian spat. “What in the hell are you all thinking? Bringing the kids on an outing now? I take half an hour to check out a potential lead on Krampus’s location, and you do the one thing I warned you against.”
“Well your lead must have been shit, because he was here,” I spat back, my hackles raised. Sebastian had no right to question our parenting decisions. Did he?
“How the hell do you think I found you?!”
“Sebastian,” my father sighed, attempting to defuse the situation. “The children…” he began, but his ringing phone cut him off. He held up his finger to us, before stepping away to take the call, which left me to deal with the furious angel.
I became the only recipient of Sebastian’s enraged glare. “Two more days, Gaby. They’d have been distracted tomorrow with Christmas Eve and then it would be over. But you all risked…"
“Sebastian,” my father’s voice held a fearful tone which silenced even the angel’s verbal lashing.
“Dad?” My own anxiety fluttered as I read his tone and waited for whatever revelation had placed such an anguished look on his face.
“Your mother called.” He paused which only panicked me more. “Gabriella, I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Lizzy. She’s missing.”
Grayson cradled me to his chest. He was my anchor and I clung to him. I wanted to do something, anything, but at the moment there was nothing to be done, so I held onto my husband desperately and waited.
My head laid against Grayson’s shoulder. I watched Sebastian, his eyes closed, deep in concentration. He appeared to be meditating, and it was a similar mental state. Focused, he attempted to get a read on Lizzy. Being a guardian angel wasn’t at all like in the movies. Sebastian couldn’t simply ping into her whereabouts, not unless she was in danger or she called for him. When he kept his sights on the kids, it was because he already knew where they were. It was a brilliant plan on the demon’s part. We had assumed Lizzy was safe in the tower, and put all our efforts toward protecting the boys. A smart demon would assume the guardian angel would follow them, and while Sebastian had been off on a small mission, the demon had been right in assuming Lizzy would be an easier target.
We’d searched every inch of the tower, and found no clue as to where or even how the demon grabbed her. So now we waited. The moment Sebastian was keyed into her location, he’d grab me and dissipate us to wherever she was. I had my cell phone on me with the tracking turned on. Damien would use my phone signal to follow us. If it was daylight, then the wolves would be our backup.
I turned my head slightly to see my best friend, Shawn, speaking quietly with my father. While my father’s raven hair shimmered with a touch of blue, Shawn’s own ebony locks lacked that element. His caramel skin looked even darker next to my father’s pale ivory. In certain ways they looked so similar, and yet so different. Shawn’s husband, Stefan, leaned against the wall just feet away from his partner. His arms folded over his slim chest and his chestnut hair fell into his eyes. While Stefan never openly rebelled against my relationship with Shawn, he was obviously uncomfortable being in the den of the first vampire.
The vampire and wolf kept trading glances my way, and for a moment I debated on eavesdropping on their conversation. It wouldn’t take much effort and it would distract me for a moment, but it occurred to me that I didn't care. It was likely related to their shared belief I should not accompany Sebastian on his mission to recover Lizzy. Everyone seemed against it. Everyone but Grayson and Sebastian, that was. It should have bothered me how well the two men knew me. Grayson wanted to rescue Lizzy too, but he understood my need to be there and neither of us wanted to leave the boys alone.
“Got her,” Sebastian announced, yanking me from my thoughts. “They’re five miles from here, moving on foot.” He held his hand out to me. With a quick glance at my husband, who nodded somberly, I placed my palm against Sebastian’s and allowed him to pull me into his embrace. “We need to hurry.”
Years ago, when the archangel Micheal had kidnapped, and was preparing to kill me, he’d used a standard handcuff to hold me. I should have been able to easily break them with my vampiric strength, but he also used arcane sigils written with something as mundane as a permanent marker, which amplified the strength of the handcuffs and prevented me from breaking them. If something like that could be so simply accomplished, what was to say there wasn't a way to stop Sebastian from dissipating?
So, I would go with the children’s guardian angel with Damien and his horde on our tail. Even if we were captured, we might delay them long enough for my father to catch up.
Inhaling sharply, I felt my blood calm, soothed by Sebastian’s nearness. It was a brief reprieve before my skin crawled and my stomach dropped as we dissipated.
Chapter 7
My fingers dug into Sebastian’s arms as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Dissipating was an instant process, so I’d expected the darkness of night. Yet, this was absolute inky blackness. Lights lit up the city no matter the hour. My supernatural vision was kicking in, allowing me to see in the dark abyss. A few blinks, and I realized we were under ground. Graffiti covered the damp concrete walls. The pipes above us shuddered, followed by the roar of a passing subway. The musky tang of stagnant water blended with the scent of decomposition, making it hard to focus on anything but the repulsive smell.
Covering my nose with my wrist, I stepped away from Sebastian, kicking debris I hadn’t noticed. Before my foot could connect with the ground, I was yanked back against his hard, muscular chest. Instantly, my entire body was aware of how close we were. I swallowed hard, reminding myself this wasn’t the time to lose my head. Sebastian was attractive and I doubted there would ever be a time I would think otherwise, but my daughter was missing. Remembering that cleared my head of the emotions and old feelings that would normally cloud my mind from his presence.
“You almost stepped off the edge.” His warm breath danced across my face as he whispered.
The edge? Furrowing my brow, I glanced over where I’d been about to step. Not only were we underground, but we were in a sewer and Sebastian had saved me from taking a dive into stagnant sewage, depth unknown. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Not only for my blunder, but for thinking Sebastian was being anything other than a gentleman.
“They’re just past the bend.”
I wanted to push past him and race for my daughter. The need to wrap my arms around her was overwhelming, but deep down I knew it would only make our job harder. We had a plan and I needed to stick to it.
I nodded to Sebastian, who withdrew his angelic blade from nonexistence. While the sword strapped to my back wasn’t anything as spectacular as his, it was my pride and joy and it had been some time since it had tasted blood. The blade practically hummed in my hand, begging to be used.
Sebastian grabbed me by my upper arm. With a raise of his brow he asked an unspoken question. Are you ready? I nodded. We dissipated and reappeared within the center of the swarm of demons. A fraction of a second passed as the demons registered our sudden appearance. A water droplet splattered against the concrete ground, resounding loudly in the eerie silences. A dull glow cast a slight light in this section of the tunnel coming from the emergency lights. My foot slipped across the slime that coated the ground, as I shifted into my battle stance. The scent of rot was stronger here too, as there was no air flow. We quickly evaluated the swarm and scanned for Lizzy, who didn’t seem to be there, before all hell broke loose.
These were unlike any demons I’d ever seen. Demons aren’t capable of physical life on our plane, so they possess humans and use them as hosts. But these beings appeared anything but human. Their graying skin stretched over their skeletal forms, which lacked hair everywhere. Knots of boney tissue, or perhaps they were bones that hadn't healed properly, protruded oddly from random places under their skin. Two were female judging by the deflated sacks hanging on their chests where their breasts once had been. The rest were men, in the loosest sense of the word. One had been castrated. None seemed bothered by their various states of nudity.
I spun, placing my back against Sebastian’s as the first demon launched our way. The demonic mob seemed more focused on my angelic companion, perhaps deciding he was more of a threat. They were wrong to underestimate me. I was Gabriella Carmichael-Alexander, daughter of the first vampire and mother to the daywalking race. I was both a princess and queen in my own right, and one of the most powerful beings on the planet. It had taken me a long time to come to terms with who I was, after being made to feel less my whole life. But I knew now, and I’d be damned if the demons weren't going to take me as a serious threat. Beyond that, I was a mother and these bastards stood between me and my baby.
The demons on my side of the room were moving toward Sebastian. Their plan was easy enough to interpret. Kill or incapacitate Sebastian, then handle me. I almost laughed at their idiocy.
My sword raised on its own accord, halting the first demon like a boom barrier. He blinked, feeling the cold metal blade against his naked chest. I could have ended him before he even noticed me, but part of me wanted to give them a fighting chance. Although, I doubted the same courtesy would have been shown to me. His muscles flexed, preparing to attack. I withdrew my blade and with blinding speed, made three slices across the demon. He froze, seeming unharmed for a heartbeat. Then, blood seeped from an X across his chest and the line across his throat. Crimson spilled from his lips as he clutched his neck, but the slice there was deeper than the other two. If he’d been human, he’d have lost his head. How he’d kept it was beyond me.
The two others who had been moving to attack Sebastian now froze, stunned as their companion fell to the floor. Their gazes locked on me, filled with hatred. I couldn’t help but smirk. Finally, something productive! It was the first real action I could take since Lizzy vanished.
The demons were nothing for Sebastian and me. In less than five minutes’ time, we stood in silence, surrounded by seven dead or dying demons. I glanced at the shallow cuts on my arm and stomach, but they were slowly healing. It’d been too long since I fed, otherwise the wounds would have been closed by now.
I stared at Sebastian, who was covered in blood, yet I doubted any was his, as I’d yet to see even a scratch on him.
“Where’s Lizzy?” I asked.
A slow, steady clapping echoed off the concrete walls. I gripped my sword tighter and spun to face the new arrival, preparing myself for another attack.
The man who’d approached me at the rink stepped out of the shadows and emerged, highlighted by the fading emergency lights.
“Krampus,” I hissed.
He chuckled. “That is one of the many names humans have deigned to call me over the centuries. I will admit, it is one of the more popular ones.” His brow wrinkled quizzically. “Did you know my celebration even rivals Saint Nick?”
“Where’s my daughter?” I demanded, growing tired of his pointless chatter.
“Worry not. She’s safe. How long she remains that way? Well, is up to you.”
I peered at Sebastian who had moved to stand by my side. He nodded. He didn’t sense Lizzy’s fear any longer.
“What do you want?” Even as I spoke, I was scanning the area, but not in an obvious way. I didn't dare lower my guard. I was prepared for another attack. I was also prepared for any opportunity to discover Lizzy, grab her, and rush her to Sebastian.
“A trade. Your daughter, in exchange for five children under the age of five. Bring them to me before midnight on the twenty-fifth and I’ll return your daughter to you.”
My face was impassive, but inside I was shocked by his request. He had to know I would never rob a family of their children. I would find a w
ay to get Lizzy back, but not like that.
“Why under five?”
He shrugged. “At the age, they’re still clay waiting to be molded. It’s easy for them to forget their family. You've seen what they can become.” He gestured to my feet. I stared at the bodies surrounding me. No… The beings we killed weren’t demons. They were corrupted children who’d matured to adulthood. What had he done to them?
Sebastian tensed next to me, perhaps coming to the same realization.
“And what’s to stop me from doing this?” Sebastian asked, before dissipating and reappearing in front of the demon. Sebastian reared back and plunged his sword forward. I gasped, feeling a blade sink into my back. Before Sebastian’s sword made contact, the demon had vanished. It wasn’t possible, I told myself. The unmistakable scent of peppermint and sulfur engulfed my senses overwhelming even the scent of the sewer. The demon could teleport. I groaned, not from the pain, but because I was now certain Lizzy wasn’t here.
“It’s been some time since you’ve fed hasn’t it, Gabriella?” He hissed in my ear as he twisted the knife within my flesh, making me scream. Sebastian tensed, preparing to attack the demon. “Ah ah ah,” the demon scolded. “I’ve lacerated her liver and judging by the lack of healing on her other wounds, I wonder? In a race between her bleeding out and her supernatural healing, which would win? Do you wish to find out?”
Sebastian gritted his teeth but didn’t lunge.
“Instead of five, let’s make it ten children.” He laughed as he vanished, taking his knife with him.
I hadn’t been aware Krampus was supporting my weight until he was gone. Losing my balance, I collapsed falling toward the floor. Sebastian rushed towards me. His arms enveloping me as he eased my fall.
Curse of Christmas: A Collection of Paranormal Holiday Stories Page 60