She struggled to her feet to lessen the tension on her palms. The muscles in her arms and back screamed, making it difficult to breathe. As she opened her eyes and looked around, she gasped at the sight before her, the agony disappearing for just a few seconds.
It appeared the demons had been very busy.
When they’d dragged her in, her eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness of the cave, so she hadn’t noticed the bounty they’d gathered. Crosses, small and large boxes, rugs, stones, gems—hundreds of each—lined the wall across from her, the Moonstone catching her eye to the left. To her, it seemed that they had traveled to many worlds and stolen their precious artifacts.
There couldn’t be any reason for doing so, except because they could. If they’d taken the Moonstone centuries ago, it would stand to reason that they’d also taken many of the other relics then, as well. That meant that other worlds could be in turmoil just as hers was because of the demons.
But that’s what they did, correct? Caused turmoil, hurt, anger for no reason whatsoever?
The Moonstone had served them no purpose, and neither had anything else against that wall. However, their disappearances had brought the demons great joy when they thought of the chaos they’d caused.
She lowered her gaze to the ground, wondering if any other beings from other dimensions had been here trying to get their precious pieces, and what their fate had been.
At this point, it didn’t matter. She’d resigned herself to dying in this dank, dark place, the odor of rotting flesh and sulfur clinging to her throat and nose. There was nothing left for her to do, no way to save the Moonstone, or any of the other religious symbols that the demons held.
The intense pain in her hands was nothing like she’d experienced before, and she hoped for a quick death.
The pretty demon woman with the black hair and blue eyes came into view, followed by a man dressed in a suit and tie and carrying a long-bladed knife. He grinned, a disarming smile that she would have found charming if she weren’t nailed to a rock.
“Little girl, this is Franklin,” the woman said.
Tirvu stared at him, her stomach turning as she realized this must be her executioner.
“Do you understand why we are demons? Why we come from Hell?” the woman asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Tirvu didn’t fully understand the cycle, but based on experience, she did know demons were devious and cruel.
“Well, let me explain it to you,” the woman continued. “During our lives on Earth, we had certain … needs … that had to be met. When I killed my family, I was giving myself freedom. Within that freedom blossomed the absolute necessity that I kill again, and I did. I drowned my kids and stabbed my husband when he got home that night. Then, I ran, and killed more. My spree lasted about three months, which was weak in the whole realm of the serial killer world, I do admit.”
Tirvu furrowed her brow. Why did this woman prattle on so? Was she truly so proud of murdering her babies that she needed to brag?
“Now, Franklin here, he had a special taste, and was able to fulfill his needs for quite a bit longer than I was able to. Are you curious as to what Franklin enjoyed?”
She remained silent while it felt like she was choking on her heart.
The woman approached her, pushing her coal-black hair over her shoulder. She stopped until she stood close enough to Tirvu that she could have licked her face.
“Franklin was very special while he was alive,” she murmured. If she hadn’t been standing directly in front of her, Tirvu wouldn’t have heard the beast. “He liked taking little girls, doing very naughty things to them, then chopping them up.”
The pretty façade slowly disintegrated, and the horrible red, bony demon face with the long fangs appeared. Tirvu fought for breath as the stench of the demon overwhelmed her.
The sultry, gentle voice also disappeared, replaced by a guttural one that sent shivers down her spine. “And he’s requested that he be allowed to have a little fun with you.”
Tirvu glanced over at Franklin, who also let his human façade down and transferred into his demon form.
There were very few things in life that scared her any longer. She’d been through too much war, seen too much death. However, this particular demon caused her to sweat, shake, and made her knees weak. Her fight or flight instinct took hold, and she tried to shift into her dragon form, but she was still too weak and lacked the energy to do so.
He advanced on her as the other demon walked away, and Tirvu began to tremble. When he stood in front of her, he took the knife and placed it in the middle of her collarbone, then ran the blade down her chest, between her breasts to her navel. She gritted her teeth against the pain, and as the blood pooled, she realized it was a very shallow cut. When he placed the tip of the knife on her hipbone and began dragging it across her stomach, she realized she wasn’t going to get the quick and efficient death she’d hoped for. Instead, it seemed it would be a long, drawn out process full of agony, a slow and torturous bleed out.
She didn’t bother fighting the tears that streamed down her face as she looked the demon in the eye. She had no fight left in her, and felt completely and utterly broken, as if her soul had been a dainty glass vase and had dropped from ten floors up onto concrete.
He grinned at her, his chest heaving as if her pain and tears sexually excited him.
She shut her eyes as he placed the knife on her wrist and slowly drew it down to her elbow.
“Welcome to Hell on Earth, dragon lady.”
As Eric climbed back up the mountain, his chest burned and heaved, every muscle in his body ached, and he once again wondered how he’d gotten caught up in this mess. He’d simply been looking for a nice place to get away from the city. Maybe a little quiet time in the mountains to figure out his future, a place to clear his head of the nightmares and the unique woman with the white hair and piercing blue eyes.
Instead, he’d walked right into this strange phenomenon, and now trudged up a mountain for the second time in one day, surrounded on this go by wolves and vampires.
He glanced over at the vampire walking next to him, named Veronica. Tall and thin, with long waves of red hair, she grinned at him. Her perfect white teeth seemed to gleam under the moonlight, as did her pale skin. He took a moment to look closely to find her fangs, but he couldn’t see them. She wore a pair of jeans and a camouflage jacket and looked like any hunter he’d find out in the forest. Apparently, it served her well when she hunted humans for blood.
When he’d approached Celestria with his plan that he and the wolves rescue Tirvu and kill as many demons as possible, he’d had no idea how much she’d elaborate on it. She’d gone to a few vampires, who readily agreed to fight with the wolves to take out the demons. Even though the wolves and vampires hated each other, they were willing to put their differences aside and come together in their mutual hate of the demons. She’d said she also had another part of the plan to set into place, but it would take time. After conferring with her pack, she’d announced the blond wolf named Thomas would be in charge as she had some things to attend to in town. Eric had no idea what she had up her sleeve, but he’d go along with anything if it got them closer to getting Tirvu back, if she was even alive. So now, ten wolves, five vampires, and he trudged up to the fight.
“You smell absolutely delicious,” Veronica said, her tone low so no one else could hear her.
He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jackets. “My blood stays in my veins, Veronica. I’ve told you that three times already.”
“Yes, I remember each rejection quite well,” she said with a sigh. “It’s too bad you won’t give a girl a chance. Sex with vampires is an amazing experience for a human.”
His thoughts immediately went to Tirvu and the scene she’d shown him of Eorricris and her in the forest. Yes, he loved her, but he didn’t belong in her world. If she was alive, he was trying to think of ways to convince her to stay with him. In reality, they were
running out of time, and if they were to get the Moonstone back to her land, little time for discussion remained.
If she was dead, it would be a moot point. The thought practically sent him to his knees, so he tried to focus on her being alive—probably a bit beat up, but still breathing.
“I’m good, Veronica,” he replied. “But thanks for the offer. Again.”
He didn’t want to upset her in any way, but he hoped she finally understood that he wasn’t interested in tangling with her.
“Your loss, handsome. You and I could make angels sing.”
He rolled his eyes. He highly doubted the angels would approve of such a coupling.
Thomas, who was in his wolf form and leading their group up the mountain, stopped, then shifted into his human form.
“Devil’s Ridge is just beyond these trees,” he said, his voice low. “I don’t smell any demons, though.”
Eric wished he had some acute senses that would make him more than human. He couldn’t smell anything but the dirt beneath his feet and the scent of the pine trees.
“Tirvu said they were there,” he said. “She said there were a lot.”
Thomas nodded. “I believe you. I’m just saying that because we can’t smell them doesn’t mean they aren’t here. Everyone, please be aware we are here and the fight will begin soon.”
Eric nodded in agreement. He had no idea what he’d bring to this fight, especially when he was merely human.
“You’ll need to come in behind us,” Thomas said, pointing at Eric. “The demons will tear you apart in seconds. Think of yourself as the clean-up crew.”
Eric grit his teeth as those around him chuckled. It frustrated him that as a human, he’d be considered strong and a formidable opponent, but hanging with this group, he was the weak link. That strange itch on his chest returned, and he grimaced as he rubbed it absently through his jacket.
Glancing around, he saw a branch about the size of a baseball bat. He bent over to pick it up, and he grinned. It felt good in his hands—not too heavy, but solid just the same. This would be it. He could wield this easily and bash in some demon heads to get to Tirvu.
“Let’s move, then,” Thomas continued. “Be safe, and kill as many fuckers as you can. Send them all back to Hell.”
20
Tirvu knew death was close. With shallow breath and her body covered in her own blood, she could no longer feel the slice of the knife against her skin. Blackness encroached on her peripheral vision as she watched Franklin with detached fascination.
He kept changing from his human form, then back again into a demon. As a human, he stripped off his clothing and stroked himself as he tortured her, then he’d switch back. It took her a while to realize he did this because in his human form, he had the ability to orgasm, but as a demon, he had no genitals. He must have been trying to postpone the final pleasure for as long as possible.
Currently, he ran the knife from her knee to her foot. As the blood welled from the cut, she could only stare at it. She glanced over at the Moonstone and prayed to her creators, Bighor and Cormun, that this would all end soon.
The darkness clouded her vision further as her knees gave out. Her eyes fluttered closed as she thought she heard noise to her right.
Whatever it was didn’t matter, because it seemed as though death had finally arrived.
Eric pulled the lapels of his jacket up around his mouth and entered the cave. It was somewhat dark, but a few small fires had been started, giving the dank place light. Everywhere he looked, there was fighting and blood … so much blood. The cries of the hunters and the hunted reverberated over the rock walls. Wolves growled, demons hissed and shrieked, while the vampires screeched as they attacked.
To his left, a wolf had a demon by the throat while the demon pulled at the wolf’s back leg with such strength, it looked as if he may detach it from the furry body. Raising his stick, he brought it down onto the demon’s arm with as much force as he could, the arm literally snapping into two distinct pieces. The wolf was able to finish off the job.
He moved into the cave a bit more, on the lookout for anywhere he could be of help. A vampire threw a demon up against the stone wall where it was stunned for a moment. Eric took the opportunity to smash its head with his makeshift bat. One blow completely knocked the demon out cold; the second time shattered its head. Black blood oozed from it, some of it spattering Eric’s jacket and face.
He tried to wipe if off, but gave up when he realized he was only smearing it around. With great effort, he tried not to vomit from the stench, but instead focused on finding Tirvu.
How many damn demons were in this place? Dozens, at least. His small but mighty group seemed to be winning the fight. They’d definitely caught the demons off guard, and he had hope they’d win the battle. But where the hell was Tirvu?
As he tried to make his way deeper into the cave, a demon with a knife ran at him. Eric raised his bat and waited until the perfect time when he knew he’d connect with its head. Sweat dripped from his brow despite the cool air, his concern for Tirvu fueling him. The longer this fight went on, the more worried he became that they were too late.
The demon changed into a human form, a man with a really nice, friendly smile. He wore a suit and looked like any businessman Eric would see walking in downtown Roanoke any weekday. The distortion screwed with his brain for just a second, and the demon lunged.
Thankfully, the confusion didn’t last long, and Eric swung the bat, hitting the demon square in the chest.
It doubled over then fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
Eric glanced around again, still unable to locate Tirvu. He bent over and flipped the demon to its back, then placed his boot against its neck.
“Where is she? The woman with the white hair?” he growled.
The demon turned back into the human who looked like a businessman, and he grinned.
Cold fear settled into his gut as he stared at the man, and he realized that this particular demon had intimate knowledge of what had happened to Tirvu.
“I’ve had a lot of fun with her,” the man said, his voice barely audible above the mêlée around them.
“Where is she?” Eric asked again, raising his bat.
The demon laughed hysterically, even as Eric brought down the weapon and slammed it into his forehead. Black blood oozed from the wound, but he kept giggling hysterically, which only fueled Eric’s fury. He had no idea what the demon had meant when he’d said he’d had a good time with Tirvu, but he was certain he didn’t mean dinner and dancing. The things going through Eric’s mind scared him to death and made him want to beat the demon until he was nothing but a pile of black goop at his feet.
He brought the bat up again and hit the demon over and over, until his facial features were completely unrecognizable and he lay still. The mutilation didn’t give him any relief whatsoever, causing his panic over Tirvu to soar.
Breathing heavily, he moved deeper into the cave where it became darker. He noticed a bunch of stuff against one wall. It almost looked as if the demons were about to hold a garage sale, or had some hoarding issues. Yet, as he drew closer, he realized that the items themselves had a certain power that emanated from them. They almost seemed to be calling to him, beckoning him.
As he drew closer, his breathing calmed, and it seemed as if he were in the presence of a higher power. He realized he was staring at prayer rugs, challises, gems, crosses … all religious symbols. Had the demons been gathering religious relics from different cultures? Some he didn’t recognize. Were these from the last time the seams of the universe had opened? Had the demons been storing them here for all these centuries?
It made sense. According to Tirvu, Eorricris had claimed he’d found the Moonstone in a cave, but then, he was never heard from again. Legend had it that evil inhabited the cave, and people stayed clear of it.
He moved toward the pile again, one relic in particular catching his eye. His breath hitched as his heart thundered
in his chest. A grey, oval-shaped rock, about a foot tall, lay at the base of the heap.
The Moonstone.
He knew it in his gut. He bent over and picked it up, its power strong, engulfing him. As his knees weakened, tears came to his eyes, although he couldn’t explain why. Even though the rock couldn’t have weighed more than two pounds, it felt as if he was in the presence of greatness, of something more than him, more than he could ever be. He fought the urge to lower his head and kiss the stone and thank it for his life.
Eorricris.
Tirvu’s voice in his head snapped him out of his reverie. He carried the Moonstone under his arm and squinted as he tried to see into the darkness.
“Tirvu!” he called. “Where are you?”
I’m dying.
That was not an option.
“I’ve got the Moonstone, Tirvu! The wolves and vampires are here with me to help get you out of here. It’s all going to be okay!”
He moved further into the blackness, his body trembling, sweat running down his face mixing in with the demon blood and causing his eyes to burn. Would there be a bunch of demons in the pool of darkness he walked into? He found himself asking the Moonstone for protection, for help and guidance in finding Tirvu.
He couldn’t see anything, not even when he put his hand in front of his face. Yet, he could feel her presence somewhere in this murkiness. He had no choice but to venture farther into it.
“Tirvu!”
There was no answer, but the Moonstone began to vibrate under his arm. Suddenly, a dim light emanated from it, illuminating the area.
And there she was.
He never would have recognized her if it hadn’t been for her white hair. Every inch of her body was covered in crimson, and she’d been discarded in the dirt like a piece of trash.
Running over to her, he gently set down the Moonstone next to her, then pushed back her hair from her face and felt for a pulse. A light beat thrummed under his fingertips, but it wasn’t nearly as strong as he would like.
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