"I've made this recipe a dozen times, but these are the best!" Linnea declared and gave Sky a hug.
Cara perched on a stool and shortly after, Linnea plunked a tasty broth in front of her with a slice of fresh bread. Cara smiled as she listened to Sky rave about the castle and food. She was taken with 'Uncle Khan' and 'Uncle Aodhan' and wasn't the least bit afraid of them. She also wanted to meet Linnea's Granddad who had somehow become Sky's Granddad since she didn't have one.
Cara ate as they made two more batches of cookies. Seeing Dawn, Sky and Linnea together felt right. They talked as if they'd known each other forever. Cara wondered distantly what Linnea's 'something other' was and if she was aware of it. Cara saw that Linnea was taken with her mom and sister, dazzled even. Sky's magic filled the air, making anyone giddy and happy. Eventually, Sky would learn to harness her magic. Sky would grow up to be like Dawn, a spiritual healer that could cleanse a person's soul with one touch. Cara was sure that's what Khan felt when he ate the cookie and he'd been damn surprised.
Dawn came over, wrapped an arm around Cara's waist and leaned into her. It had been so long since she spent time with her family. She left home young and there was nothing Dawn could do about it. She never pried into Cara's life and whenever she showed up in Montana, no matter if it was a week or three years, Dawn welcomed her with open arms and tears. Having a home kept her going.
Cara felt the presence of the demon a moment before she saw a figure standing at the base of the mountain. It was a fleeting glimpse of a figure in teal, but that was all she needed. She slipped off the stool.
"What is it?" Dawn asked, sensing all was not well.
"Let me step outside for a minute," Cara said.
"You can't," Linnea announced.
"Why?"
"The Master said it isn't safe," Linnea said.
"It's okay," Cara said and walked to the back door. "I'll be right back."
"He's going to kill me if you step outside!" Linnea snapped and stalked after her. "And I like my job. You think I want to go back to America?"
Cara kept her eyes trained on the mountain where she'd seen the flash of teal. "You do know the Internet is international? I think you'd have to live underwater to get away from porn."
"Porn?" Dawn echoed.
Cara whirled and saw that Dawn and Sky had followed as well. "Go back inside. I'll be there in a minute."
Linnea frowned at her and then looked around. "Where are you going?"
"I just need to check something out," Cara said.
They all stared at her, not budging and she mentally swore. She was about to lead them back inside when Linnea jumped a foot, eyes wide.
"Angelina Brockman?" Linnea said, dumbfounded. "What are you doing out here?"
"That's not Angelina Brockman," Dawn said and pulled Sky behind her.
Vanity ignored them and focused on Cara. She was dressed in a teal cocktail dress and had a matching clutch under her arm.
"There's some powerful demons in Doolin," Vanity said in a rush. "They've possessed some of the witches and they're torturing the head of the coven so she can give them permission to get into the castle."
"Gael," Cara whispered.
"Demons?" Linnea repeated looking from Vanity to Cara.
"You know this demon?" Dawn asked and gripped Cara's arm.
"She helped me find Aodhan," Cara said and when she turned back to Vanity, she was gone.
"She was wearing Louboutin's. Where did she go?" Linnea asked and turned in a full circle.
Cara sent her senses out, but she didn't feel the presence of any other demon. "Let's get inside. Hurry."
They responded to the bite in her voice and rushed back into the kitchen. Cara locked the door and looked at her mother.
"Stay here. Don't open the door to anyone, okay?"
"But-" Linnea began.
"You can't go with them," Dawn protested.
"I have to or they'll have no choice but to kill the coven and they serve Aodhan," Cara said.
"K-kill? Coven?" Linnea stammered.
Sky fidgeted restlessly with frightened eyes trained on Cara. Despite her age, Sky knew now wasn't the time to ask questions. Cara gave her a look that she hoped was reassuring before she rushed out of the kitchen.
Chapter Seventeen
Cara walked as fast as she could to the office. Khan was staring intently out the window at the lake. Aodhan looked up from the computer and got to his feet.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Demons have taken over the coven. They're torturing Gael to get her consent to attack the castle."
Khan and Aodhan looked at each other before Khan walked out of the office. A moment later the front door slammed.
She put her hands on her hips. "I'm going."
"Yes, you are, but first I'm going to make it safe. Come."
"I trust Vanity. Don't kill her," Cara ordered as she walked towards him.
"If she's not lying, I won't kill her," Aodhan agreed and sat with her between his legs. "You need your strength."
"No time."
"I can lend you mine."
"What do you mean?"
Aodhan pulled out a dagger from his drawer and sliced his wrist before she could stop him. She stared at the rich blood that welled there.
"Drink, Cara."
She didn't hesitate. She bent down to his wrist and let him settle her on his knee. The familiar, sweet taste of his blood burst on her tongue. With every swallow, she could feel her exhaustion being replaced with power. Aches disappeared. Aodhan's arm was hard as iron beneath her fingertips and she gently wrapped her hand around his forearm when he shifted restlessly.
"Vanity wasn't lying. The demons have possessed eight witches. Gael isn't possessed," Aodhan reported suddenly.
She tried to lift her head, but he held her to his wrist with a firm grip on her neck.
"You need as much as you can take. Drink."
She sank her teeth into his skin in retaliation but obeyed. She hadn't faced more than three demons at once. Aodhan was right, she would need all the help she could get.
"The demons know that Khan doesn't want to kill the witches. He's keeping them away from Gael for now. Okay, Cara, you're ready," Aodhan said.
She raised her head and felt flushed and euphoric. She stared at Aodhan as his hand moved over her mouth.
"Ready?"
"Mmm," was her response.
Aodhan hauled her into his arms and walked out of the office.
"What about Mom and-?" she began.
"No one can penetrate the castle. I've instructed Linnea to keep everyone inside," Aodhan said.
Cara was semi-prepared when Aodhan launched himself into the sky. Her heart pumped like a jackhammer and she was flooded with adrenaline. She hoped she wouldn't pass out before she was able to kick demon ass.
Khan's impatient, Aodhan reported telepathically since there was no way they could hear each other over the sound of the wind.
Impatient? She didn't hesitate as she responded through the intimate communication.
He's never seen a true exorcism. Khan's never had to hesitate when faced with a possessed puppet, but these demons are either clever or very stupid. Khan's put a ward on the house, keeping them trapped inside with him.
You can talk to him telepathically?
Yes. We're almost there.
As the sun set and darkness began to take over, she felt Aodhan slow.
You're stronger than them, Aodhan said as he landed. Instead of drawing the demons into yourself, exorcise them and shove them straight into hell. They'll choke you if you try to possess all of them.
She'd never tried such a thing before. So simple, yet was it possible? They were several miles from Doolin and there was a yellow cottage tucked behind a wall of trees. All of the curtains were drawn over the windows, but lights blazed inside the house. Aodhan kept their hands clasped together as they walked to the front door and pushed it open. The cottage was a simple one with the main li
ving room and kitchen in the middle of the house and rooms tucked into each corner of the house. In the middle of the room, bound to a chair and covered in blood was Gael. If Vanity hadn't told her it was the head of the coven, Cara wouldn't have recognized Gael since she was so badly beaten. Khan was lit up like a blue Christmas tree as bolts of electricity sizzled over his body. It was so similar to the night she was alone with him in the private dining room that she stopped in the doorway.
Cara? Aodhan asked telepathically.
Thank God he's on our side, Cara replied and closed the door behind them.
Khan shuffled Gael over to the sink. Aodhan stopped in the middle of the floor with her hand still clasped in his. Cara glanced into the dark rooms and saw red eyes watching them. She saw a glint of white as some of them smiled or bared their teeth at her.
"Come on out, boys," Cara called in a deliberately sweet voice.
The first witch that walked out was vaguely familiar to her, but that didn't matter right now. The witch sneered at her and flipped the bloody knife in her hand.
"Well, if it isn't the fucking Princess of Darkness," the first demon said.
Cara suppressed a flinch. Aodhan squeezed her hand and it hit her. Aodhan knew who and what she was and he was standing right beside her. She didn't revolt him. He still wanted her and he wasn't going anywhere. Despite the scene in front of her, her heart lightened as if she were hugging Dawn or Sky. She looked up at Aodhan and he raised a brow. She snapped herself to attention and raised their clasped hands to her lips and kissed the back of his before she released him and walked forward.
Another demon stuck his head out of the bedroom, but wasn't ready to reveal the rest of himself yet. "Luc's dying to get his hands on you, love." Red eyes slid from Cara to Aodhan to Khan and back.
If she walked into this crowd of demons by herself, she would be on the defense and probably trying to find an exit. She could feel Aodhan behind her and could see the alarming flicker of Khan's body out of the corner of her eye, protecting Gael from further harm. She knew that although Khan had apologized for his behavior the other night, he wanted to see for himself what she was capable of. She knew he never ceded control without a damn good reason. Bonding his brother to a demon was definitely a reason for him to let her take center stage and prove herself. But, she also knew he would step in if something went wrong. For the first time in her life, she had backup and it felt great. She liked the fear in the demons eyes as they looked at the Ancients. Finally, the tide was beginning to turn.
"We've met?" she asked the first demon.
The demon's lip curled and he glanced at Aodhan before he said, "Ambition."
Cara sighed. "Then I know Luc didn't order you to do this." She glanced at the second demon. "Which means you're Opportunity."
The demon hissed like an angry cat and withdrew into the dark room.
How do you know Luc didn't order this attack? Aodhan asked telepathically.
Why would Luc want inside of the castle? Both of you are in there. Luc doesn't want to be anywhere near you. Ambition has always been a kiss ass, she replied.
Right, Aodhan said.
"Guess the Ancients wanted a dirty girl. They'll toss you away as soon as they get what they want from you," Ambition said.
She let it slide right off of her. Demons could be mouthy and she'd had years of practice. Right now, though, she wanted to experiment and he was going to be her guinea pig. She flinched just for show and saw Ambition lick his lips, enjoying the fact that he scored a hit. Cara leapt forward and swung him from the wall to the floor and followed him down. She didn't give him time to fight. She splayed her hand around his neck to pin him to the ground and poured her magic into the witch's body. Ambition was near the surface since he didn't have time to retreat. He was no match for the Ancient power pumping through her veins. She yanked him out of the puppet's body and held his spirit away from her body as he tried to latch onto her. She slammed his dark mist into the ground and he was gone.
She opened her eyes and saw that the witch was conscious now and staring at the blood on her hands in horror. Some puppets remembered everything that happened when they were possessed. The lucky ones remembered nothing. She suspected that the witches, being that they were stronger than the average human would, unfortunately, remember torturing Gael.
Cara got up, helped the shaking witch to her feet and pushed her towards Khan. She glanced at Aodhan. His face was hard and focused.
Everything okay?
She nodded and gave him a small smile before she walked into the dark room where she sensed three of the demons. She didn't need eyesight for this and knew exactly what she had to do, what she was born to do. She kicked demon ass.
When they arrived back at the castle, it was past midnight and Sky, Dawn and Linnea were in the front hall. Linnea was ghost white and shell shocked, but she still came forward when they walked in. Linnea hesitated before she put an arm around Cara and gave Khan and Aodhan a wide berth.
"You okay?" Linnea asked.
Cara nodded. "I'm great."
Honestly, she was tired. She used every drop of Aodhan's blood and now she was dead on her feet, but this time she wasn't battling an inner demon. She managed to extract each demon from the witches. There were no lives lost and she hadn't walked away harboring one of the demons. They were all back in hell.
Unfortunately, she'd had to get physical with some of the demons, which meant some of the witches were sporting bruises. She tried to be gentle but the posse Ambition recruited for the mission were mean bastards. Torment was the one that put up the biggest fight. He tossed a knife at Cara when she walked into the bedroom. She jerked just far enough to the left that she was still breathing. Aodhan lost it and that witch had been taken to the nearest healer once Cara exorcised Torment out of her. Blasphemy, Gluttony, Greed, Envy and Bigotry didn't go meekly, but they weren't as confrontational as Torment, mostly because they watched Torment get pounded through the floorboards of Gael's house.
Gael had been conscious during her torture and during the exorcisms. Despite the fact that Cara saved her life and those of the coven, Gael wanted nothing to do with her. She jerked away from Cara as if she were a virus and even while it was nothing she hadn't seen before, Cara had to talk to Aodhan who threatened to replace her. Cara didn't care about anyone else's opinion except his. Most people would have the same reaction as Gael and there was nothing she could do about it.
Cara looked into Linnea's eyes and knew Dawn had passed the time by revealing things. Cara wasn't sure how much Dawn had told Linnea, but she gave her points for being brave enough to hug her.
"She needs to go to bed," Aodhan said.
Sky clung to Cara's legs. "You okay?" she asked in a small voice.
"Yeah, kiddo." Cara leaned down and kissed Sky on the top of her mostly bald head.
"I love you," Sky mumbled.
"I love you more." Cara picked her up. She knew Sky was freaked. For a little girl, Sky knew too much. For the most part, it didn't affect her but on nights like this, the little girl could feel the worry pouring off Dawn in waves.
Aodhan headed into the office and Khan nodded at her. His gruff, 'Impressive' when she was done exorcising the demons made her smile. The sight of Khan still sent a trill of alarm up her spine, but she was beginning to like him. Khan could be reasoned with. He respected Aodhan enough to let him bring a demon back from the dead. He was okay with it. He may not like kids, but he'd eat a sugar cookie to please a little girl he didn't know.
Linnea and Dawn followed her up to the bedroom. Cara set Sky on the bed and moved into the bathroom to take a quick shower. She closed the door in Linnea and Dawn's faces when they tried to help. She was stronger than yesterday, but she wanted to get into bed and crash. After the shower, she sighed when she saw all of them still there.
"What happened?" Dawn asked.
Cara glanced at Linnea and knew the time for caution was gone. "There were eight demons. They're all gone. The cov
en is a bit shaken, but there were no deaths."
Dawn leaned forward to examine her eyes and said, "You're not possessed" in a surprised voice.
Linnea jerked back so fast, she fell off the bed. Cara ignored her and explained her new method for exorcising demons. Linnea tried to compose herself and Cara gave her extra points for not running out of the room screaming.
"We've all had a long day," Dawn said.
Cara fell back on her pillows and Sky made no effort to move. She snuggled into Cara and tossed her skinny leg over her middle. When Dawn raised a questioning brow, Cara smiled. She didn't mind. She turned her attention to Linnea.
"You coming to work tomorrow?" Cara asked.
Linnea tipped her nose in the air. "I will because I might get eaten if I don't."
Cara chuckled as Dawn and Linnea walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. She put her arm under Sky's head and tucked her close.
Cara stood in the middle of a windowless room. A naked light bulb buzzed overhead and a man leaned against the wall in the corner. He was from the Middle East with dark skin and piercing black eyes. He was dressed in a military uniform and her heart began to pound.
"What am I going to do with you?" the man asked and she knew.
"Luc," she whispered.
He pushed off the wall and began to circle her with his hands clasped behind him. He never took his eyes from her.
"I've created more spawn than I can remember. Human lives are so fleeting and I am forever."
She turned with him, not wanting him behind her back. Like the last time she saw him, Luc wasn't mocking or amused. His voice was filled with malice and intent. This was it.
"I was so proud of creating you, my new specimen. The other spawn were fragile, but they were children that walked in my footsteps. I taught them to play it safe since having their faces on the most wanted lists would hinder my plans. But, in the end, they all perished."
"What do you want, Luc?" Cara asked quietly.
For several seconds, he didn't speak. He strode in measured steps around her, laced boots clicking on the cement floor. The sound grated on her nerves and she knew it was a tactic to put her on edge. It was working.
Clutch of the Demon (Cursed Ancients Series Book 1) Page 19