Demon Soul

by Christine Ashworth

  Maggie came panting up, a blanket in her arms. Once it was spread out on the ground, Gabriel laid Rose down. The others stood guard.

  The heat of the day still lingered in the ground. Gabriel called upon the life force deep in the earth, felt his vision shift again. There on Rose's left shoulder, unseen by his demon eyes, a barely-healed vampire bite shone pink and silver in the moonlight. "Don't think, don't think," he said to himself, before fastening his mouth over the same spot on her shoulder. Gabriel heard Maggie gasp and Justin whisper low, but he quickly forgot his audience.

  Gabriel breathed the life force of the earth into Rose as it flowed into him, careful not to lose himself. He could taste Mephisto on her, knew that the fire demon had breathed a part of him into Rose to save her life. It grated, but Gabriel found a moment to give the demon grudging thanks. He could taste Satine there, too, but her influence waned as his breath pushed earthly life into Rose.

  Finally, she stirred in his arms, her body growing warm again. Not demon hot, just human warm. With a last kiss on her shoulder, he lifted his head and searched her face. "You okay?"

  Rose looked up, blinked. "Yeah. I think. Help me stand. We won, right?"

  Gabriel grabbed a tee shirt from the bag near him and dropped it over her head. It was long enough to cover her half way down her thighs. "Right. The vamps are toasted. Mephisto is gone and Satine, well. You know better than we do about Satine." He found sweatpants in the bag and pulled them on.

  "Satine's ash on my back." Rose sent a wry smile to her friends. "You guys don't know how lucky you are to have family that you can love."

  "You sure you can walk? I could carry you."

  "I think I'm done being carried. Just don't go too fast, and I'll be fine." Rose stretched her arms over her head. "Man, what a night."

  Gabriel turned to his brothers and Maggie. "Thanks, for everything. You guys okay?

  "A few scrapes, teeth marks, bruises," and Justin shrugged. "I'll give everyone a check after we get back to the house, do any triage necessary. Maggie, you're coming too.” His voice left her no room for argument.

  "Okay." Maggie bent and picked up the blanket, and they all turned and started walking to their cars.

  The night still held heat. Gabriel looked up at the stars, dimly glinting in the city sky, one arm wrapped around Rose. "I don't know how to say this."

  "Don't talk about leaving. I'm too tired to argue with you, and my heart is too sore right now." Rose rubbed her chest.

  "What the hell were you thinking, going inside that place by yourself?" he demanded. He stopped her in the middle of the street and gripped her shoulders. "Didn't we talk about that? Didn't we say we'd go together? You know how things fall apart when we're not together. Damn it, Rose."

  "How were you going to get your soul from Satine? Tell me that, big guy," she demanded. "Do not push me around. I've got a good brain. I enjoy using it. So accept me the way I am, because I've gone through more changes than I care to remember in the past few days. I'm done changing. Done."

  "How do you think I felt, knowing you were where I couldn't reach you, where I couldn't protect you?" He pulled her into him and held her tightly, his heart hammering hard in his chest. "I can't, I won't live without you. I'm done being alone, because alone? It really sucks."

  Astonished, she lifted her head off his chest and stared up at him. "You don't want to leave?"

  "I've never been more serious in my life. I don't want you to feel like you have to stay with me just because I changed my mind. And it's not really that I changed my mind, it's that I finally started listening to my heart. Rose, I need you in my life. I love you." He felt her melt into him then, her hands stroking his back. “And I will push you around when it comes to your safety.”

  Rose sighed and snuggled closer. "I think I was born loving you, missing you. Needing you."

  Her aura grew shiny-golden in the night. Gabriel had never seen anything so beautiful in his life as the ash-covered redhead with the golden glow. "You take my breath away, I love you so." Gabriel thrilled to feel the steady beat of her heart against him. He pressed a hard kiss to the top of her head and leaned back to see her face. "I'm not letting you go, not ever again."

  She studied the clear gray of his eyes, saw the love filling him, and her heart sang. "You'd better not. You've given me more than I knew to want. I'll need some time to pay back the favor." She lifted her face for his kiss.

  Footsteps pounded down the street toward them. "Ah, good. Welcome to the family, Rose." Justin bent and kissed her cheek before catching Gabriel's eye. "I need some help. Fast. Maggie collapsed before we got to the car. Kellan's with her, but I need you." Urgency pulsed off him.

  "I'm there." Gabriel turned to Rose. "I'll carry you."

  "No." Laughing, she held her hands up and backed away. "Go on, I'll just walk at a normal pace, thank you. It'll give me a chance to work out the kinks."

  Justin zipped off, faster than Rose's eyes could track. His voice floated back to them. "Hurry, Gabriel!"

  "They're just around the corner. Half a block." Gabriel took a step forward, not wanting to leave Rose.

  "I'll be right there. Go, Maggie needs you." She blew him a kiss, her eyes shining with love.

  "I'll hold you to that promise," he growled, having snatched her kiss from the air. Then he was gone, and the wide street empty but for her.

  "How things change," she murmured to herself. Deepest night was edging to dawn. A couple more hours and the sun would pour down over her new life. Rose walked slowly, cataloguing everything that had happened in the night.

  Mephisto. She would miss him. It was stupid to pretend otherwise. His soul was so badly damaged, and she didn't have it long enough to figure out what to do with it. She could only hope that he'd heal, over time. Though the debt between them had been cancelled out, she still felt she owed him. He'd given her the precious gift of his powers, and she'd known what it was like to be different. Strong. Losing that had been such a shock to her system. She couldn't cope until Gabriel had stepped in, brought her back to life.

  But if she had to lose Mephisto, she had hit the jackpot with Gabriel. She shook her head in disbelief. Not only Gabriel, but through him, the entire extended Caine clan. And now she had Maggie, her first real girlfriend since childhood. Plus she had her soul back, where it belonged.

  Her life, so empty before she died, had miraculously been filled with wonder and delight and love. Above all, love.

  Rose sighed, full up with happiness, and yawned. "I could sleep. I could really enjoy sleep." Realizing that she'd stopped in the middle of the street, she hugged herself and laughed. To look forward to sleep seemed like such a luxury, and yet it was now hers.

  "If I have my way, you will sleep in my arms every day of eternity."

  The voice sent a cold stream of dread down her spine. She spun around to find Vlad behind her. "I did warn you." He stood a yard away, striking in his dark suit, his hair a blond nimbus, a mockery of an angelic halo.

  Rose blinked. "I forgot." Gabriel! Her mind shrieked his name, over and over, a ghastly repetition from just a few days earlier.

  He examined his fingernails. "You…forgot. That's insulting. You forgot me, gave a demon his soul back, oh wait. You gave two demons their souls back. And you utterly destroyed my favorite toy." Vlad looked at her and she felt his ice-blue eyes pierce her soul. "Satine was a Soul Stealer," he continued. "You are a Soul Chalice. It seems a fair trade, you in her place. Come to me."

  The command in his voice went deeper than she'd ever known. Before she could stop herself she'd taken three steps toward him. "No. No!" Desperately she stopped her forward progress and called upon the one part of her she'd never tried to manipulate before. Power she'd never known, not even as a fire demon, burst through her, filling her with a light that illuminated the neighborhood.

  Exhilaration streamed through her. Wings beat on her back, surprisingly heavy, bigger than the little demon ones. She heard shouts behind her but di
dn't dare turn to look, keeping her focus steady on Vlad. "You can't touch me."

  Curiosity crossed the perfection of his face. "Watch me." A gesture from him had a blanket of black coming down over her, smothering her light, disorienting her. It swept her up and wrapped her tight. Gabriel!

  * * *

  Gabriel came around the corner at demon speed to find Rose bursting with light, large, angelic wings protruding from her back. Shock had him stopping to stare in awe even as blackness came down and shrouded her completely. Suddenly Rose was nowhere to be seen.

  Vlad stood there, his arms crossed, not a hair out of place or a wrinkle on his suit.

  Raw, human fury edged with fear possessed Gabriel. Without a thought he launched himself at Vlad, caught the vampire's arm as he tried to spin away. "Oh, no you don't," he growled, and using the other man's momentum, he slammed the vampire face down into the asphalt, once, twice before it could squirm free. The ground shuddered beneath the assault.

  "You cannot defeat me." But the vampire breathed hard as his body struggled to heal. He sidestepped Gabriel's next assault.

  "You touched Rose. I did warn you. Dance all you want, but you won't be able to dance forever. You've never met the likes of me," said Gabriel. He gauged his enemy, dodging first one way, then the other. Justin. I need your swords.

  Coming, bro.

  Quietly. Don't spook the vamp.

  Got it.

  Gabriel felt the connection with Justin fade. Rose was still there, quiet in the corner of his mind. You okay?

  Get it done.

  Her words loosened the knots in his gut. Gabriel did a running flip over the vampire, ending up closer to the corner where Justin waited.

  Vlad spun around to keep him in sight. "The likes of you are a dime a dozen. You're not even hard to kill." His contemptuous dismissal crawled under Gabriel's skin. He flicked a hand and cuts appeared on Gabriel's arms. Blood flowed freely.

  Gabriel brought healing power, lay it like a cloth over the wounds on his arms without taking his eyes off Vlad. The bleeding stopped, and he raised a brow toward Vlad. "Gee. Is that the best you can do? You haven't killed me yet," he taunted. Other cuts appeared on his body but he refused to give them power.

  The two men swayed in the street, searching out the other's weaknesses. Ten feet separated them, an easy leap for both. Vlad tossed his golden mane. "You're just a demon. I've killed thousands of demons in my time. I've lived longer than you could dream of living."

  "That makes you an expert at living?" Gabriel felt Justin fit the swords into his hands as he held them behind his back.

  Vlad sighed, world-weary. "I'm an expert in survival. I'm real tired of you always riding to the rescue, though. I suppose I should just kill you outright, rather than turning you. Mmm. Pity." With a flick of his hand, two more cuts appeared on Gabriel's thighs, tearing into his jeans.

  "Yeah. Good luck with that." Gabriel brought the blades into the open and gave them an experimental twirl. "These have great balance. They've killed a lot of vampires tonight. I'm thinking, though, that you'll be the last one they kill before dawn."

  With demonic speed and Fae grace, Gabriel went airborne, knowing exactly where each blade needed to be placed as he moved. The swords flashed in the waning moonlight as he spun around the vampire, making ribbons of the suit he wore. Blood appeared.

  Vlad gestured furiously and Gabriel's leather coat was soon in tatters. A few of the vampire's cuts had made it to his skin, and they were both dripping with blood.

  "Stand still, damn it." Vlad wiped at a slash on his cheek. "I'll kill you." Vengeance burned in his eyes and he grabbed for a sword as it flashed toward him.

  "Oh yeah, grab the weapon, that's bright," scoffed Gabriel, and with an upwards yank, the vampire's thumb was cut clean off even as the other slashed at his neck. Vlad, shocked, opened his mouth but whatever else he would have said gurgled into nothing.

  Gabriel swung the other sword and that blow took the head clean off. It flew several yards before coming to a stop beside a sewer.

  Gabriel dropped the swords and ran toward Rose, who lay face down in the middle of the street. Whatever had hidden her from sight had vanished. "Rose! Damn it, you'd better be alive."

  She rolled over, her eyes wide. "Gabriel!" She reached for him just as he got to her side. "You're hurt."

  He shook his head. "It's nothing."

  Rose looked beyond him and shrieked. "Gabriel! Fire, for God's sake!"

  Vlad's headless corpse had risen to all fours. It crawled, searching for its head. Gabriel and Rose scrambled to their feet, Rose backing away as Gabriel advanced. He swept up one of the discarded swords and impaled the body, jamming the sword into the asphalt below.

  "That should hold you for a bit." Rummaging around in his pockets, he brought out matches and lit the once-fancy suit in several places. The fire spread quickly. Gabriel retrieved the head from where it had rolled and placed it in the middle of the back, eyes down. The golden hair caught, frizzled up and disappeared, leaving the skin of the head to blacken in the flame.

  A car came around the corner. Rose hid behind Gabriel, who tensed up. How to explain this to a human?

  Kellan got out of the Jag's driver's seat and they both relaxed. "You guys, go. I'll stand watch, make sure there's nothing left. Justin wants you at the house, and hey, put a towel down on the seat. If even a drop of blood gets anywhere inside that car, you're cleaning it."

  Gabriel grinned. "Thanks, man. Come home as soon as you can."

  "Yeah." Kellan watched them drive away, the love between them tangible and glowing. Sighing, Kellan turned back to the burning vampire and settled in for what was left of the night.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Gabriel looked around the main room of the Caine family home. Cleaned and put to rights with a fire in the fireplace despite the summer heat, it was warm, inviting and currently filled with people. Justin stood scowling behind the chair occupied by Maggie. Kellan had sprawled across one large sofa.

  A week since their alliance with the wolves against the vampires, they’d healed and talked the entire thing out from one side to another, though they still weren’t sure what to make of Rose’s new manifestation.

  He sat on the other couch with Rose curled up against him, marveling at the strange and wonderful turn his life had taken. Rose snuggled against him and yawned.

  “I’m thinking pizza for dinner.” As everyone groaned, Gabriel shrugged. “Okay. Justin, you pick.”

  “He’s gonna pick Chinese,” Kellan complained. “Justin always picks Chinese.”

  “Actually, I was thinking Thai,” Justin countered.

  “I like both.” Maggie kept her gaze on the fireplace.

  “Well, somebody had better order something soon, because I’m starving,” Rose declared.

  “Will you accept a bucket of chicken?” The voice came from the doorway, and everyone turned to look at the newcomer. “I dropped it off in the kitchen.”

  "Gregor!" Justin went to welcome his brother. “Good to see you, bro. Healed and healthy. You look well.”

  Rose looked to Gabriel. “Who?”

  Gabriel’s eyes met hers. “My oldest brother, Gregor.” Gabriel stood, uncertain, and looked to Kellan who also stood. They waited for Gregor to walk over to them.

  Justin spoke rapidly into Gregor’s ear as they made their way slowly across the room to the fireplace. Gabriel waited, nerves thrumming through him. All he wanted, all he’d ever wanted, he realized, was his family’s approval. Something he thought he’d never be able to get after Marianne’s death. And Gregor…he'd never truly forgiven him their mother's death.

  Gregor finally stood there in front of his brothers. His blue-black skin shone in the firelight, his suit immaculate even after traveling all day. Gabriel stifled a smile.

  “Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in,” drawled Kellan. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “You would arrive after the fight.” The room
fell silent. Justin took a few steps back, out of the action.

  Gregor raised an eyebrow. “Cousin. I understand you’re leaving soon.”

  Kellan’s eyes flashed. “I’m gone in thirty seconds, just say the word.”

  “Gregor, that’s not necessary,” Gabriel began, but when Gregor’s steel blue eyes cut his way, Gabriel’s voice dried up.

  “You. Were you too busy to write? To call? To let us know where the hell you were?” Gregor’s voice chilled the air between the men. “Family isn’t for convenience. We’re forever. You need us, call. We’ll be there. That’s how it works. And you,” and he turned back to Kellan, “the same goes. I don’t care how footloose you are. You keep us informed. Do you hear me?”

  Gabriel blinked. “Damn it, Gregor. I didn’t want to see the disappointment in your eyes. In Gideon’s eyes. I fucked up, real bad.”

  Gregor put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder and shook him slightly. “The only disappointment was in thinking you didn’t trust us enough to tell us what happened.” He put his other hand on Kellan’s shoulder and looked from one man to the other. “Damn it, I should knock your heads together. But you’d just gang up on me. So I only have one thing to say.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s about time you came home. Did anyone bring beer?”

  “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

  Gregor’s fingers flexed hard enough to hit bone. Gabriel winced. “That’s in the past. You’re here now. That’s what matters.” He turned to Kellan, his eyebrows raised. “Well?”

  Kellan shifted from one foot to the other. “We never were the hugging kind, you and me, if that’s what you’re waiting for.”

  Gregor stifled a sigh. “What are your plans?”

  “Don’t know. Hadn’t thought too far ahead.” He shrugged. “Didn’t think you’d care much.” He lifted his chin in defiance.

  “You stubborn son of a bitch. You’re family. Of course we care. Of course I care.”

  “Then I guess I’ll stay for a little bit.”