by Susan Illene
Melena turned toward Lucas. “You know what to do.”
He flashed away.
“Where did he go?” Cori asked, glancing out the window but not seeing him.
“He’s close by in the woods.” The sensor shrugged. “I really don’t think Tormod would hurt Emily, but that doesn’t mean I won’t take any precautions. Of course, she’ll be able to sense Lucas, but she’s in on the plan.”
Micah smiled. “The idea is to make Tormod think we trust him. We’ve got to start doing something to get him back to a semblance of his old self and rebuild his confidence.”
Cori nodded slowly. “I suppose that makes sense, but he isn’t exactly being nice.”
“Emily can give as good as she gets,” Melena assured her.
No one seemed the least bit concerned. Cori peeked out the kitchen window again and found the teenagers had walked almost to the tree line. They were speaking in hushed tones too low to hear, even with enhanced senses. Both of them appeared tense, though, and Emily was gesturing a lot with her hands.
Olivia, Micah’s nerou daughter, came to stand next to Cori. “It will work out. Not right away, of course, and there will be a rough journey ahead for those two, but eventually they’ll manage to heal their wounds through each other.”
“How do you know?” she asked, turning toward the woman.
She was beautiful with shoulder-length blond hair, fair skin, and azure blue eyes that could penetrate to the heart of a person. The six-hundred-forty-year-old nerou could rock a spring dress with high heels well, too. Once she was out in the world, men would be chasing her and giving her father nightmares. But despite her gorgeous appearance, she showed no signs of vanity or snobbishness. An isolated life in Purgatory probably helped with that, but Cori got the sense this woman just didn’t have that in her personality anyway.
“I see things,” Olivia said, smiling gently as she glanced down at Cori’s rounded stomach. “Especially in relation to those around me.”
“You know the gender of the baby, don’t you?”
Olivia’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, but I won’t spoil it for you.”
“Will the baby be healthy and okay?” Cori asked. That was the thing she worried about the most.
She nodded. “The future is fluid, but from what I can see, your baby is going to be fine.”
“What do you mean the future is fluid?” That was not something she wanted to hear. “How can you be confident about Tormod and Emily, but not my child?”
Olivia put a gentle hand on her arm. “Sometimes I see multiple possibilities, but for Tormod and Emily, it always ends the same. The only thing I don’t know for sure is whether they’ll only be good friends or have the greatest love we’ve ever seen. That’s not clear.” She paused and glanced between Cori and Bartol. “With you, on the other hand, there is a bit of murkiness involved—as if something is up in the air—so the future isn’t decided. It is difficult to discern anything with certainty.”
That didn’t sound good at all.
“I can’t lose this child.” A lump formed in Cori’s throat. “Not another one.”
The nerou woman hugged her. “The baby will be born alive and whole, but how and when are what I’m not seeing. It’s not unusual when the event is in the near future, so don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Easy for her to say. “Thanks.”
Cori turned her attention back to the window. Emily was stepping closer to Tormod and reaching out to carefully hug him. He stood stiff and still, allowing it, but not appearing happy about it. She stepped away and gave him a sad but sweet smile. Cori wished she knew what they’d said to each other, but that was their business. She only hoped that maybe it helped Tormod in some way.
“I should return him to the compound,” Bartol said, coming up behind her.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, wishing he’d come a little closer and put his arms around her. “Will you come back here tonight?”
“I will.” He worked his jaw. “But don’t wait up for me. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Cori sighed. The couch was his favorite fallback if he felt he should stay at her house but was unable to be too close to her. “Alright. See you soon.”
He studied her face, a myriad of emotions reflecting in his eyes. “Take care until I return.”
Chapter 11
Bartol
Bartol stood on the center lawn at the nerou training compound, apart from the others gathered there. After five days of lessons tracking demons, he was getting used to working with the nerou, but he still preferred to keep his distance—always the outsider, the recluse.
Whenever anyone got close, he had to fight the urge to run away. He hated that about himself. He used to be a man who enjoyed socializing, but now he wanted nothing more than to be alone. The other students had learned to give him his space, and they never dared stare at his burn scars for more than a moment. Still, he caught their curious gazes and those who winced when they saw him. It was hard to believe people used to stare at him for his attractiveness.
He startled when Raguel flashed in front of the assembled group, holding a struggling middle-aged woman with brown hair tinged with gray. She was on the frailer side, but she kicked the archangel in the shins hard enough to make him grunt. Demons could make their human hosts many times stronger than normal.
This was the fifth day of training, and Bartol had steadily improved at tracking a person with a demon inside them. Tormod had been their target until now. They’d had to scour the woods and later Fairbanks in small groups to see who could find him first. The nerou had senses as great as Bartol’s, so it took a lot of energy to compete with them and find the target first. Cori had done well for the first few days she had been able to join them, but she’d had to return to work after that. She would be taking a break from her shop soon once the baby’s due date drew near. He was glad she’d received some training for her protection, but he was also relieved she would not be around as the course intensified.
Raguel thrust the demon in front of him, holding it by the back of its neck. “This creature was causing trouble in Anchorage, wreaking havoc in an electronics store.”
The woman twisted and clawed at his face, but he deftly dodged her.
“Why an electronics store?” one of the nerou asked. “Don’t demons usually have a specific purpose when they attack places?”
“Good question,” the archangel replied. “What do you all think?” His gaze ran across the students, prompting them to answer.
“So far all of their actions have been random,” a female nerou said. “We were taught that they either keep a low profile so they don’t get caught and can stay longer, or they do something that furthers a specific agenda.”
The first nerou snorted. “Well, they’re definitely not hiding.”
“Then what do you think they’re doing?” Raguel asked.
Silence. Everyone looked around at each other.
Bartol had been thinking on that a lot since he first learned of their growing presence. “Perhaps they are trying to undermine the supernaturals here on Earth. Make it harder for the rest of us to live in peace.”
The more trouble demons caused, the more difficult it became for humans to accept anyone who wasn’t “normal” like them. They’d only just started to calm down since the supernaturals came out nearly a year and a half ago. The rising incidents in Europe had already flared up tensions there, and now it was becoming worse in America. As of yet, the mortal world had no idea demons were committing the atrocities rather than vampires, werewolves, or one of the other races.
“That is a possibility,” the archangel said.
The female nerou spoke up again, “Do you have any ideas?”
“I do.”
Everyone waited for him to elaborate, but he only stared at them enigmatically.
“Well?” Melena prompted from where she stood on the sidelines.
“It is not for me to say for certain.”
He thrust the demon-possessed woman in front of him. “For now, you all must concentrate on finding this woman. I will relocate her to a place near the town of Fox, and it will be up to you to find and stop her before she causes any harm.”
“You’ll never find me,” the demon hissed. “Never again!”
“But people could get hurt,” a male nerou argued.
“It is time I raised the stakes for you.” Raguel gave them all a stern look. “This is not a game. I see you laughing and carrying on when you search for Tormod because you don’t take the lessons seriously enough. Now you will know if you do not complete your task quickly, innocents could die or get hurt.”
Bartol understood his father’s methodology, even if he thought it was a bit too soon for such an extreme lesson. A demon could move fast when they had incentive. Setting them loose near a human population where they could do real damage was more than a little risky. Up until now, it sometimes took them an hour or more to find Tormod with the vague directions Raguel provided.
Melena’s face turned red with anger. She worked for the supernatural division of the Department of Homeland Security, and it was her job to protect humans from dangers such as this. She stomped her way past the nerou and stood before the archangel, clenching her fists.
“They aren’t ready for this,” she hissed at him.
His smile was cold. “Then I suggest you help them.”
“You can’t do this.” She took hold of the demon’s arm. She was the only person there who could banish the creature back to Hell, but unlike Bartol and his father, she couldn’t permanently kill it. “I’m sending the demon back!”
“Only after you find it.”
Raguel jerked the prisoner from her and flashed away. Melena’s hand was left hanging in the air. She stared at the empty spot where he’d been and muttered a curse before swinging around to Bartol. “Your father has gone too far.”
“There is nothing we can do about it now. I suggest we don’t waste time and start looking,” he replied. Already, every fiber of his being called for him to do the job that was bred into him.
She let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine, but I’m having a long talk with him when this is over.”
“Good luck.”
As she and the groups of nerou ran for the vehicles in the compound parking lot, none of them able to flash, Bartol left the faster way. He arrived alone about a mile from the town of Fox. He had to try thinking like his father if he was to locate the demon quickly, and it helped he’d have a head start alone. It wasn’t easy working with others, so he didn’t bother joining any of the groups. They only slowed him down anyway.
He closed his eyes and sent his senses out as far as they could go, but he found no demonic presence nearby. Alaska was a wide open place with a very low population. One could go for miles without running into another person, which was a good thing in this case as long as he found his target quickly.
Bartol considered where his father might have dropped the demon off. Raguel said it would be near the town but not in it. This was a region with rolling hills, as well as thick areas of trees and shrubs. Would the archangel have placed the possessed woman within dense foliage or in a more open location? Could she be near one of the two highways that ran through the area? That would be bad if the demon decided to flag down a vehicle and get a hold of any occupants. Would his father have been willing to take that risk? Archangels thought differently than most, and it was possible he’d risk human lives for the greater good of high stakes training.
With that thought in mind, Bartol flashed to a location north of town between the two highways. Riverbeds ran through the area, and the foliage was quite thick in some spots. He sent his senses out once more. He didn’t pick up on anything definitive, but his instincts told him to head west toward Elliot Highway.
Moving at a steady jog—the fastest he could go by foot over the tough terrain—he kept his mind alert and searching. The urgent sensation intensified the farther he went. He had no doubt the demon was ahead of him somewhere and moving west as well. Bartol would have to go faster if he were to catch up to the possessed woman. He flashed a quarter of a mile and rechecked his senses, relieved he could now pick up a definite signature. It was dark and malevolent. Demons felt that way all the time, but if they were about to do something particularly bad, he’d learned their maliciousness grew stronger. This demon had a target.
He flashed to the location where he sensed his prey, arriving next to a two-lane highway. He found the possessed woman walking with a limp toward a semi-truck that had stopped on the shoulder. The driver was in front of the vehicle with the hood open.
“Please help,” the demon called in a pathetic voice.
She had a cut on her leg with blood running down it. Since the human host was wearing a thigh-length flowery dress with short sleeves, it wasn’t hard to spot the wounds. Most people would feel sorry for a female in such a state, even if it was strange she’d be alone in a remote area such as this.
The driver spotted the woman and set down a tool he had in his hand. “What happened to you?”
“My car got a flat tire down the road,” she replied, slowly limping toward him. “I started walking to find help and fell. My knee has a gash.”
Not too unbelievable, considering the host wore three-inch high heels.
Bartol waited and watched for another moment since he wanted to see what kind of game his prey played. It would help him understand how demons worked that much better. He didn’t get an opportunity like this often since most of the time when he ran into them they were either trying to blend into their surroundings or actively attacking.
The trucker moved toward the woman, sympathy on his face. “I’m afraid I can’t do much for you. My rig is broken down as well—as you can see—and I’m waiting on help, but I got a first aid kit so we can fix you up until my ride gets here.”
“Oh, yes, that would be great.” She smiled thankfully at him as he reached her. “I was scared being out here by myself with all the wild animals.”
Bartol highly doubted that. He flashed closer, making himself invisible so they wouldn’t see him. He stood just along the tree line about fifty feet away.
The trucker took the woman’s arm and helped her toward his truck. “The least we can do is clean that wound up. It looks nasty.”
“Yes.” The woman whimpered. “It hurts, too.”
Bartol continued to shadow them, creeping closer to the highway. To his relief, this demon wasn’t strong enough to see through his invisibility spell, so he could monitor them from just a handful of paces away without being noticed. He couldn’t think what the creature’s game might be with this act.
“Do you drive this route often?” the possessed woman asked.
“Yeah, several times a week,” the trucker replied, leaving her leaning against the vehicle while he jumped inside to get the first aid kit.
The demon’s eyes glimmered with a hint of red while it thought it didn’t have an audience. Then it reached down into a purse hanging from its shoulder and brought out a rusty dagger. Where had the demon gotten that? Could it have had it the whole time and Raguel didn’t notice, or did it pick it up along the way? The weapon appeared old and worn.
The trucker climbed back out of the cab with a first aid kit in hand. His eyes widened when he spotted the woman now holding a knife. The demon’s eyes were still red, as it had apparently decided not to hide its nature anymore.
“My God, what are you?” he said, backing away.
The possessed woman grinned evilly at him. “Definitely not God.”
The trucker tripped on his heels and fell hard onto the pavement. He dropped the first aid kit and lifted his hands in front of him in a protective posture as his attacker came to stand over him with the knife raised high.
“Please, don’t!” he cried.
Bartol wasn’t sure how it worked, but once a demon looked at a human with their glowing red eyes, few were able to fight back. They co
uld somehow push fear into their victims the way spiders poisoned their targets to slow them down. Only distance could make the effect weaker, but the man and possessed woman were too close. He didn’t stand a chance.
“I’m going to carve you up into pieces and leave them hanging all over this truck like Christmas decorations,” the demon said, leaning down.
Bartol flashed forward and grabbed the creature, slamming its body against the truck. The knife fell to the ground in the process. He kicked it away and stared hard at his target. “And what would the purpose of tearing this man apart be?”
“Maybe I just think it would be fun.”
He squeezed the demon’s throat. “Tell me, now.”
The demon sputtered until he loosened his grip. “Why should I tell you when you’ll kill me anyway?”
“I’ll make your death quick if you cooperate.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” the creature growled, no longer sounding like a human at all.
“It should,” he said, letting his own eyes glow golden. “Because I have learned how to make it painfully slow.” The demon didn’t need to know that he was still working on improving his speed. Slow and painful required a lot of energy, so Bartol hoped to get faster at it for his own sake.
“Your kind aren’t the only ones tired of living in the shadows.” The creature wriggled in his grasp. “We want a place here, too.”
In the distance, he caught the sound of a vehicle coming up the highway. Bartol recognized the hum of the motor as being one of the SUVs from the compound. Some of his competitors would be there in moments.
“You’re forbidden from that,” he said, glaring at the demon. “You’ll never be allowed to stay here.”
“That’s what you think!”
The SUV stopped on the side of the road a short distance from them. Melena and several nerou climbed out and started heading their way.
A bright flash of light appeared to his right, and Raguel appeared. “Finish the demon now.”