Dark Hauntings: A Paranormal Times Novel

by C C Solomon

  Azrael sat down on Faith’s bed and leaned back on their hands. “That’s fine. Call it back then.”

  “Uh, I don’t control it.”

  The angel gave me a condescending smile. “Try.”

  I glared at Azrael for a beat. I had no idea how to summon a demon, believe it or not. That typically involved spell magic unless you were a demon lord. I had no experience in spells, at least not ones powerful enough to raise a demon. I was a warrior faerie. My powers were all about fighting and inflicting damage and death. However, I would humor the angel because I often liked to make them look stupid.

  “Hey, demon boy. Come out and show yourself,” I called to the air.

  As expected, nothing happened.

  Suddenly Azrael’s eyes opened wide, and they sat up straight.

  Felix took a step forward. “It’s behind you.”

  I frowned. “What?” And suddenly I felt it. Goosebumps pricked the back of my neck. I’d thought it was simply the air conditioning. I jumped up and spun around.

  There the demon sat on my bed in its familiar crouch, looking smaller than before. It was still a human-shaped shadow even though the lights were on. It grinned up at me, silent. I was beginning to wonder if it could do anything other than grin.

  “Okay, you’re here.” Was all I could say. How had I summoned a demon without even trying? Maybe I hadn’t. Maybe, it’d just been in the shadows, waiting.

  Faith entered the room now that Felix had moved. “What are you all looking at?”

  Felix pointed at the demon with wide eyes. “You can’t see that thing on the bed?”

  Faith frowned and shook her head. “What’s going on? Why am I left out?”

  Azrael sighed and leaned forward, resting their forearms on their thighs. “It’s because you aren’t angel or demon. In addition to humans, very few paranormals can see spirits not in any earthly form. That would explain why you can only see it when it’s in the child form.”

  Faith leaned forward and narrowed her eyes looking at the bed but not at the exact spot where the demon perched. “Why did it take on the appearance of a child?”

  “To be deceptive. Make you believe it’s good.”

  I tilted my head from side to side. Angels could be so singled-minded. “Or it’s taking the form of the victims. That would explain why no one knew about the murders. The victims are kids, and kids aren’t supposed to be here.”

  Azrael raised their upper lip with a look of disbelief. That was one demon-hating angel. “Speak, demon. Why are you here?”

  It just kept scary smiling at me.

  “Speak!” Azrael shouted.

  The demon looked at the angel and then crabbed walk to the edge of the bed before dropping to the floor, and lowering down until all we could see were its glowing red eyes.

  “I think you scared it,” Felix said in a low voice.

  I agreed. I bent forward across the bed.

  The demon looked up at me. Its smile was now turned down in a frown, teeth still bared. Even with limited features, it really did look scared. “It’s not going to speak to you.” I wasn’t even sure it could even talk. I walked around the bed, towards the creature, and crouched at its level. “Can you speak?”

  It nodded.

  “What are you?”

  “The loooossst.” It said in a creaking whisper.

  I’d heard of the lost before. I got on my knees, feeling slightly more at ease. This creature was not really a demon. They were a lost soul trapped in darkness. There were all types of spirits. And spirits took all forms. This one also fell into the category of ghost, and it had been taken from this world in a very horrific way.

  “Were you murdered by the creatures you led me to?”

  It shook its head.

  “How old are you?”

  It put up both hands. I could tell although this demon could speak, it would be limited speech at least for now. This was not uncommon for spirits. There were many who couldn’t speak at all. Usually this was because no one could hear them, so they stopped trying to speak and just lost the ability for a while.

  “Ten?”

  It nodded again.

  “Are there more of those killers here?” Azrael asked in an agitated tone.

  The demon child flinched.

  I glared back at the angel. “Shut up.”

  The angel opened their mouth, their eyebrows furrowed together in anger.

  I looked back at the demon spirit. “Are there more of those killers here?”

  It nodded.

  Felix made a noise. “See, this is why we need to stay here. To help them!”

  I put a finger up to stop him from saying more. “I’ll get to that next.” I turned back to the spirit. “Why did you come to me and not anyone else?”

  The demon reached out for me and touched my arm with both of its hands. “Speeeeciiiall.”

  The feel of its skin, if you could call it that, felt like icicles. I fought the urge to recoil. Sometimes I cared about not being a jerk. “Why do you think I’m special?”

  It lowered its head to my hand, scooting closer.

  It was easy to forget that this creature was actually a trapped child.

  “Just aaarree.”

  It thought I was special but didn’t know why. What did it see in me then that it trusted? I lifted a hesitant hand and patted it on its icy head. This gesture seemed to make it happy as it moved its head like a dog wanting to be petted more.

  “Azrael, can we do something to set his spirit free?”

  Azrael humphed. “Oh, now you want me to speak? Well, I can’t help you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be petty.”

  “I actually don’t have the ability to make a demon not a demon. Once it’s in that form, it’s out of my jurisdiction.”

  “It’s more like a ghost.”

  “Not the way we categorize it.”

  Of course not. Why not just say their powers are limited?

  Faith threw her hands out to the side, her face a mask of fury. “I’m seeing and hearing nothing and it’s fucking pissing me off.” She then took a deep breath as if to calm herself. “But from what you all are saying it sounds like a bad situation. We can’t leave a ten-year-old kid trapped in a demon form. We have to do something.”

  Azrael sighed. “I wish I knew what to do. We can ask Monica. Who we’re going to see tomorrow morning. As you know, she won’t step foot in here even though I told her there isn’t a ward up preventing us from getting out.”

  “Fine. So, what do we do about the demon-ghost?”

  I looked down at the creature. I had no idea but it couldn’t stay by my side. It tightened its grip on my arm to the point of pain. I tried to yank my arm away, but that only made it worse. “Okay, you need to go back to where you came from. Rest for a while or something. If you need me, I’m here.” I patted it on its chilly back awkwardly. “Come back before something bad happens or when I call you. It’d be nice if we could stop these things from happening instead of coming after the fact.” That reminded me of something. “How’d the first guy die yesterday? Did someone kill him?”

  Felix walked forward carefully, eyes glued to the demon’s grip on my arm. I knew him well enough to know he would try to pull the demon away if he didn’t disappear soon. “Why would someone kill it and not report it?”

  “Maybe they were just focused on getting the hell out of town.” Like I was.

  “Staaaaarvvving,” said the demon.

  That wasn’t good. I had no idea what demon spirits ate. “You’re hungry?”

  The demon swiftly shook its head.

  Then what was he talking—oh. “The guy from yesterday starved to death.”

  The demon nodded quickly.

  Azrael scratched their chin in thought. “And therefore, he melted. How fascinating.”

  I scrunched my face. “Or gross, but we’ll go with fascinating.” I looked back down at the demon, feeling Felix’s shadow practically over us. I could hand
le this. “All right, buddy, by the way, what’s your name?”

  “Tiiiiim.”

  Tim the demon. That was deceptively harmless. “Ok, Tim. I’m Fran. We’re going to find a way to set your spirit free, so you can go off to heaven or wherever.” I couldn’t imagine at ten that he had done anything bad enough in his life to go to hell, so helping him get to the right place seemed like the thing to do. Couldn’t hurt to get some cool points on the conscience scale. “So, let us rest some and get to thinking of a plan. Okay.”

  Tim nodded before releasing me and disappearing into a cloud of black smoke.

  Felix reached for my arm and rubbed warmth back into my limb. How he even knew I needed that, I wasn’t sure. I instantly felt at ease with him. It wasn’t going to be easy parting ways when I went to the fae realm. Maybe I should rethink things and see if there was a way to get him into my world? I had no idea but my feelings for him weren’t light. I could talk a good game, but I really liked him.

  I thanked him and then stood up. “Okay, let’s all get some rest so we can meet boss lady in the morning.”

  “Are you going to stay here with us for the week? I don’t want you disappearing while we’re asleep,” Felix said with raised brows.

  I shrugged. “We’ll see how she responds, and then I’ll decide.”

  With the way things had been going, I was pretty sure Monica wasn’t going to respond to my satisfaction.

  We met Monica at an upscale diner in an unaffiliated town several miles away from St. Michaels late the next morning. We relayed the events from the past two days. Azrael kept out the part about finding the angels while we worked up a story that didn’t involve them betraying Monica. I didn’t care to protect them as much. They had a job to do, and she was their boss, like it or not. Misandre was hardly the pleasant leader I wanted but I endured it. She was killed eventually so I was sure it would work out for them in time. More importantly, this prolonged Monica helping me with my memories, which was the only reason I was there. Azrael believed if we gave her a bit of information she would at least share the news she’d been holding from the last time we saw her. That better be the case, or I was going to snitch.

  Our waitress set our plates of food down and I cut into my sausage, waiting for the angel’s response to our news.

  Monica sipped her coffee, her eyes narrowed in thought. “I have no doubt that there are more of these creatures, and we still need to find Dean and Nancy, so it’s important you stay longer.”

  Azrael nodded in agreement. “That’s the plan.”

  I frowned and shook my head. “Or, you can bring your angel flunkies to handle it. We’ve given you the intel. You know the place is troubled. You also know we can come and go as we please. We played our role, now give me the information you promised.”

  Monica pursed her lips. “You still haven’t found my angels.”

  I made a ‘pfft’ noise with my mouth. Those angels weren’t my friends. I didn’t need to keep their secret. “Your angels are there. We saw them.”

  Felix groaned, and Faith muttered some expletive. Maybe Azrael wanted to keep them a secret, but I didn’t give a damn. I ignored Azrael’s blazing eyes on me. I wanted what I came here to get. Information about my past.

  I put down my knife and fork and leaned into the table towards Monica. “Look, your angels don’t like you. I’m guessing nobody does. I’m sure you’re aware of that. You are a ruthless, deceptive being.” I really wanted to say bitch. Gold star, Fran, for being so classy. “That Sunnybrook farm town seems like a utopia to those poor put upon angels. I’m assuming. Honestly, the place feels like a cult but that’s another story. If you don’t want people to desert you, maybe you should act like a leader people want to follow. Someone people want to emulate and go to the front of battle for.” I sat back in my chair feeling self-satisfied. “Read that in a leadership book. I can let you borrow it if you play nice.”

  Monica’s silvery eyes glowed and I feared for a moment she was going to zap me. “Are you saying my angels ran away?” she asked through gritted teeth.

  Faith cut in with a look of resignation. “Yeah, man. And don’t go taking it out on them, okay? They didn’t mean any harm.”

  I wanted to add that I’d do the same if I were them, but I felt I’d said enough for the moment.

  Azrael ran a weary hand over their face before speaking. “I was trying to sort that all out, Monica. That’s why I didn’t tell you. I’m sure we can come to an understanding. Perhaps through mediation. Dean and Nancy are young. We just have to train them better.”

  Faith nodded. “But you also are a trash-ass leader so, there’s that.”

  I gave a quick clap and pointed at her in approval. Maybe I didn’t hate her after all.

  Azrael turned to Felix, their eyes wide with anger. “If she speaks again, I am going to electrocute her. She will survive, but it will shut her up for a while.”

  Faith kicked the angel in the leg. “Try it.”

  I was confused. I thought they were a thing, but maybe their romance was a little on the violent and aggressive side. Everyone had their kinks.

  Monica slammed her coffee cup down, brown liquid spilling on the table. “Enough!”

  We quieted down and stared at her. One could never forget that Monica was the most powerful person at this table. She was a high-level angel, and the power she wielded could not be taken for granted. Sometimes it was fun to poke the bear, but I didn’t want to be mauled by it.

  Monica clasped her hands, resting them on the table. “Being a leader everyone admires is not an easy task. None of you sitting at this table have lived as long as I or seen as much as me.” She looked around at us, her face neutral. “I was a Queen when I was human. Beloved. However, none of that love kept my people safe from the cruelty of the world. They were still ripped from their homeland and enslaved.” She rested her eyes on me. “Leading is not a popularity contest despite what some of your books are telling you. It is about sacrifice and the ability to see the bigger picture. Now I realize you dislike me for having your memories erased but it was a necessary evil. One I’d have done again. You are all charged with the greater good. That means putting the needs of what is right before your own.”

  I twisted my lips, not certain I was buying that she’d put her needs to the side but I let her continue.

  Probably sensing my doubt, Monica cocked a brow. “It is unfortunate that your memories did not return, but you overestimate how much of your mind you had before we intervened. Both you and Felix are different from your friends. You were paranormal before the world changed. You came from parents who knew what they were. But, Francesca, there are secrets hidden within you that even we did not know before. Secrets we still don’t know.” She sat back in her chair, relaxing her face. “Now, since you have provided me some information, albeit unpleasant, I suppose it is only fair that I can tell you what we have discovered.”

  “Finally,” I muttered. Her speech was nice but since I wasn’t sure she was really practicing those words herself, I wouldn’t hold onto them for long.

  Ignoring my snide comment, Monica continued. “You know that your mother was Unseelie fae. Her name was Dalia Cruz. She was Queen of a Southwestern Regional Court.”

  So, that’s what Marcus had meant by wondering why I was focused on this court. I really was a freaking princess!

  Fae courts, like many paranormal groups, were located all over the world. The Fae realm was its own world, but it represented and influenced cultures in the human world all over the globe. Which was why the fae did not have only one appearance. Misandre was a northwestern faerie and would then terrorize humans in Europe while taking on the appearance of a caucasian woman with a Scottish accent. Marcus was also a northwestern faerie, but he had the appearance of a biracial male with an English accent. Queen Arwa was an eastern faerie and protected humans in the Asia region while taking on the appearance of a middle eastern woman. If my mother was a southwestern faerie then she interacted
with South American countries.

  “What did she look like?” I asked in a whisper. This was the second time I’d heard that name. Marcus had known my mother and I was even more certain now that partnering with him was a good decision because he had information about my past that I would get him to share, even if I had to trick him into doing it.

  Monica tilted her head. “I don’t have any pictures of her yet. But she was described by our sources much like you. She was also described as being afro-cuban in the human world. At some point in your life, you stopped residing in the fae realm and lived as human. I don’t know much about your time living as a fae, just that you were royalty. I don’t know why you and your mother left.”

  “Is she alive?”

  “I do not know.”

  I lowered my eyes, a feeling of frustration growing. “What about my father? All I know is that his last name is Ross.”

  “Your father was a demon, this you know. They did not let him into the fae realm. However, there is no information yet about him. I don’t know if your parents lived together in the human realm.”

  “Anything else?”

  “That’s all I can tell you.”

  I wasn’t certain if she meant this is all she knew or if this was all she was going to tell me.

  Monica stretched her lips into a tight smile. “We will continue to look into more information about you and discover how to break whatever magic is continuing to mask your memories. In the meantime, you will rid this town of this evil, and I will recover my angels at the conclusion.”

  I had my information, and now I could leave instead of sticking around hoping for another morsel of truth from Monica. Yet, now I felt invested. I was getting a bleeding heart hanging out with these guys. I wanted to actually stop these demons. Maybe it would look good on my leadership resume. Fae’s were no friends to demons, so being a demon vanquishing princess sounded like something good to write on a campaign ticket.

  Felix cleared his throat. “I know I have my memories, but is there anything regarding my mother’s whereabouts? I know the neighborhood we used to live in was destroyed by an orc attack. I tried to reach her by phone, but she never answered. I tried to email her, she never replied or showed up at any of the locations I gave her. Is she dead like my father?”