Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1

by Kim Richardson

  “No!” Kara staggered back. “No! You’re lying! This…this thing isn’t David!”

  But Kara knew it was true—she could still recognize pieces of David. She cringed at the horror of what she had done. She thought she had had more time before the transformation completed itself. It was too late now.

  The demon David smiled mockingly. Kara noticed a greenish tint to his former pearly whites. “I’m afraid the David you knew is gone. His spirit is dead.”

  Kara winced. It was David’s voice that came out of the demon’s mouth, but with a strange harmonica echo now. Her skin crawled, and she suppressed a shiver.

  A cry escaped from Kara’s lips. “David…I’m so sorry,” she whispered, and she backed away. “I never meant for this to happen.”

  Her legs gave way, and she fell. She felt repulsion at herself and at him—what had she done to him? The creature David advanced slowly. Kara trembled. She felt nauseated. She had created a monster. She could never forgive herself.

  With a hungry grin the demon sauntered towards her. He walked just like David.

  “But I must say, I do prefer this body.” He lowered his head and inspected himself. He stretched his arms and made fists with his hands. “I feel…more powerful. I feel a connection to a power I’ve never felt before. I feel stronger. I feel I can do anything I want—and kill whoever I want.”

  Kara struggled to her feet. Her arms fell loosely at her sides. The soul blade shook in her hand. Her fingers trembled. “David…how—? Where’s Peter?”

  The demon ignored her. “I have to thank you, Kara, for allowing this to happen.” David’s black eyes gleamed as his wicked smile returned. “If it weren’t for your essence, I could never have crossed into the netherworld and experienced this kind of ultimate power. You made it all possible. I thank you for this. And that’s why I’m going to take my time killing you.”

  Kara’s lips trembled, and it took all her strength to keep from falling over again. She could feel her elemental power tingling inside her, and she strained to control it.

  “David…I—I’m so sorry. Please…let’s get out of here.” She lifted her hand. “Come with me. I’ll make it better. I promise. Raphael can help you get back to your old self. Let’s get Jenny and get out—”

  David laughed. “Get out? And why would I want to leave? I was meant to be here. I always knew I was meant for greatness. And now I’ve found it—my true purpose. Angels are powerless lonely subservient creatures—never allowed to do anything—it’s pitiable.”

  His black eyes locked on Kara. He arched an eyebrow. “I have no idea what David saw in you. You’re not even that good looking. You’re a frail little angel who’s going to die. I’m going to kill you now.”

  Kara was paralyzed. She watched in horror as the demon David drew a death blade from his jacket, brought it to his mouth, and licked the blade with a black tongue. He twisted the blade in his hand and sliced the side of his cheek. Black liquid rolled down the side of his face. He laughed wickedly and tossed the blade back and forth in his hands, taunting her. His impenetrable black eyes never left her.

  Kara staggered back. She felt herself spiraling deeper than before. She heard Lilith cry out in glee and watched her clap excitedly. A hint of a self-satisfied smile appeared on Zadkiel’s lips, and he lounged back in his chair. He was enjoying watching Kara suffer. He was waiting for her to crumble. Why did Zadkiel hate her so much? She had never done anything to deserve his hatred. She heard David’s sinister laugh and wished she could be sick.

  She spoke to him again, “I never wanted this to happen. I would never have let you come with me if I’d known what would happen to you. After everything we’ve been through…you don’t deserve this. David, I’m so sorry.”

  The demon David snickered. “Don’t be. David’s dead. He can’t hear you anymore. You’re wasting your time apologizing to a dead guy. Besides, you won’t feel so sorry after I kill you. Consider this our breakup—”

  David suddenly hurled his blade at her. Kara heard a faint swish, and pain exploded in her chest. Stunned, she looked down. The handle of his death blade stood out from her abdomen. She stumbled back, wrapped her fingers around it, and yanked the blade out. David laughed a cacophony of guttural chortles and wails. She heard a whipping sound and screamed as the poison of another death blade burned into her chest like acid.

  “What’s the matter, sister dear,” laughed Lilith from across the platform. “Don’t want to hurt your boyfriend, eh? Ah…come on now. I wanted to see a little action between you two. And I thought you’d put on a fight. Guess I was wrong. I thought you were made of stronger stuff. Clearly, you’re not. Come on, little sister. Show us what you’re made of.”

  Kara ignored Lilith and pulled out the second blade out. Her elemental power bubbled just below the surface. Stone faced, she tried to stay calm by remembering the first time she had seen David’s beautiful face—so proud and playful. She remembered the electricity of their first kiss. She wanted him back. She wouldn’t let herself hurt him.

  Kara sheathed her soul blade. The demon smiled. She needed to figure out a way to get the demon out of David. She needed to stall.

  “I won’t fight you. Not like this. I won’t hurt my friend.” Kara gave the demon a cold look.

  The demon lowered his head and looked at Kara from beneath his brows. “Tut. Tut. Tut. How very honorable of you. Must be love—to sacrifice one’s self for another. But you’ll have to fight me if you want to live. But if you don’t, it’ll still be a pleasure to kill you—and a real pleasure to devour your soul.”

  “Fight, David! Fight your way out,” urged Kara. “I know you’re in there. Fight it. Fight the darkness…I know you can. Come back. Fight it.”

  Another black blade materialized in his hands. “I told you. David is dead—thanks to you. What part of dead don’t you understand? Mort. Muerto. Morto. Mortuus.”

  Kara scowled. “David is not dead. I don’t believe you took over his soul completely. I can feel it. I know he’s in there. And I’m going to get him back.” She held the demon’s gaze. She could feel her angel flesh starting to tingle with warmth.

  His pallid face gleamed with an eerie glow. He tossed the death blade in the air and caught it easily. “You’re making this way too easy for me. I was really looking forward to a real challenge. Not some sad case of the crying girlfriend who’s afraid to fight back. Killing you won’t be nearly as fun as I had anticipated. But I will kill you, nevertheless. And then the rest of your miserable friends.” David hurled his weapon, and the black blade glimmered in the ghostly light as it flew dangerously fast towards Kara’s face—

  She lifted her arms.

  A beam of golden light blasted from her palms. It hit the dagger in midair. The blade burst into golden fire, and with a crack it disintegrated and vanished.

  Wild power flared inside Kara. It boiled dangerously within her, desperate to break free again. It wanted to be released, to strike back at the threat. She surveyed the platform before her in hues of gold. As she struggled to control herself she called to David again, “David…don’t do this. I don’t want to hurt you. Please stop. Fight it! I know you’re in there. Fight it!”

  “Oh! This is so exciting!” Lilith clapped enthusiastically. She pranced around the platform, beaming at the tragic performance. “I can’t wait to see if you have the stomach to kill your boyfriend. Tell me, dear sister…what will it be? Your life…or his?” Her laughter burned into Kara’s ears.

  The demon David cavorted wildly around Kara. He opened his hands and two more death blades appeared as though by magic. Black vapors coiled around his wrists.

  “I must say, I’m really enjoying our time together, sweetheart. You’re finally putting up a fight. But killing you is the right thing to do. You see—you don’t belong here. You should never have existed in the first place—and I will see to it that you are erased.”

  The two death blades catapulted towards Kara.

  Kara
thrust out her palms and the blades exploded in a cloud of golden dust. Her temper boiled. Her elemental power throbbed in her head, screaming for revenge.

  “David. I’m begging you. Please stop. This is crazy. Please—don’t make me hurt you. I don’t think I can control it any more. Please, don’t do this.”

  She knew that the demon was a parasite and that David was its host.

  Kara backed away and kept her eyes focused on him, trying to stall for time.

  A laugh shook her out of her reverie, and Kara cried out. She fell to her knees as her thigh and neck burned with the poison of his two blades. She heard David approach, but didn’t look up. Instead, she curled her fingers around the first blade and pulled it out of her neck. The smell of burnt flesh filled her nose. She yanked the other blade from her thigh. She could feel the poison spreading like a sickness inside her.

  Kara looked up. The sole of a combat boot smashed her face. Her head jerked backwards and she fell over backwards. She felt another blow to her abdomen, and she rolled over on her stomach. Something pulled her head up by her hair, and a black blade glowed in the soft light in front of her.

  “And I thought you had some fight in you. See…that’s the difference between demons and angels. You angels are weak. And I just hate how you think you’re superior to us. You think you’re righteous and good, keeping the mortals on their leashes.”

  The demon David leaned closer to Kara’s face. “But let me tell you something. One day we’ll be rid of you for good. Goodbye, sweetheart—”

  Kara backhanded David’s face and he yelled out, but before he could react, she jumped to her feet and side-kicked him in the gut. He staggered backwards. He recovered quickly and threw another death blade. But just as the dagger left his hand, it was swallowed up in a ball of golden fire and vanished.

  “I’m not your sweetheart, demon,” Kara snarled.

  Hunched over, David leered and circled around Kara. He looked more like a beast than a young angel. His face was streaked with black ooze from his wound. “Maybe not—but now you’re going to die, whether you like it or not.”

  Concentrating feverishly, Kara tried to calculate his next move. “I’m not giving up on you, David. I know you’re in there somewhere. Fight it.”

  “I’m going to kill you, you angel.”

  In the blink of an eye, David rushed forward and kicked Kara hard on the knee. She heard something snap and went down. He drew back a fist and punched her in the face. Kara swung around and kicked him hard in the chest. David went sprawling on the ground.

  Kara pushed herself to her knees and got a boot to her chin. Her head jerked back, and she dropped like a stone. David was on top of her instantly, with his blade to her neck.

  “Told you I was going to kill you. Die angel.”

  He moved to cut her throat, but Kara’s hands were on him. She loosed a little surge of power and golden rays hit David. He was propelled backwards in the air with monstrous force. Golden electricity wrapped around his body like golden rope, and he hovered in the air for a moment before he crashed onto the platform.

  Kara shook as she watched him convulsing and heard him wail. She closed her eyes and waited for his shrieks to stop.

  The wailing stopped, and she opened her eyes.

  The golden current crackled and sparked over his body. His limbs were hideously broken.

  “I’m sorry, David,” she whispered.

  With a final pop, the golden energy disappeared.

  The higher demon moved no more.

  Chapter 19

  The Great Escape